Unwanted Memories
by DeepPoeticGirl
Summary: //SasuSaku// He would have wanted to kill them. He would have wanted to kill her. But the memories that reflected in his mind made the task impossible. And now he was finding himself helping the people he was intending to kill in the first place.
1. The Encounter

_UPDATE: EDITED CHAPTER_

_WARNING: SPOILERS FROM THE MANGA! DON'T KNOW WHICH CHAPTER BUT SOMEWHERE IN THE 400 I THINK!  
_

**Disclaimer**_: I don't own Naruto._

* * *

_It was never suppose to go this way._

_This was never supposed to happen._

_I never thought that out of all the things that could've taken place, __**this**__ had to happen!_

_It never crossed my mind._

_Never._

_Never once did I think of something like this._

_It was __**outrageous**__._

_It was __**unbelievable**__._

_It was __**reckless**__._

_It was __**unthinkable**__._

_It was __**insane**__._

_After everything that happened in these past years, after our endless efforts and our worthwhile fights..._

_Why..._

_**Why**__..._

_After all these years..._

_Why oh why Sasuke-kun..._

_...why did you have to attack your home village...?_

* * *

The light reflected on a kunoichi's emerald eyes for a few seconds, but soon they disappeared in darkness again as she sank deeper into the bushes.

A shadow ran by and she closed her eyes, listening to the sounds and sensing the different chakra's while she was being as silent as death.

She breathed in silently, filling her lungs with fresh air, and snapped her eyes open as she detected the chakra she was looking for.

It was _his_.

The boy that broke her heart and betrayed her village so many years ago.

The boy that decided to target the village.

The boy that joined Akatsuki.

The boy that she still loved, even after all this.

As expected she saw him running into view, stopping abruptly a few meters away from the bushes were she was hidden, with his back facing her. She saw his head move slightly from side to side, and she knew he was inspecting the area.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw his body tensing slightly, and she flinched. Sakura held her breath as his body turned slowly, his front now facing her. She almost gaped at his beauty.

True, she had seen him not long ago, but it seemed that every time she saw him he looked different.

Darker.

More handsome.

Crueler.

Blanker.

…but still so very good-looking.

She stared at the way his dark baggy pants covered his legs handsomely, her eyes traveling to the black coating hanging loosely around his waist, held by the lavender loop tightly wrapped around his lower upper body. His white shirt was hanging loosely on his shoulders and opened up to reveal his well toned chest. Her eyes caught sight of the cursed mark on his neck, even though it was hard to see in this darkness. Emerald traveled up, and she stared in amazement at how his raven locks fell so beautifully in his face, accentuating his breathtaking facial features. Alluring lips caught her eyes, and she almost smiled at the sight. Finally, her gaze caught his most breathtaking feature: _His eyes._

Clouded dark coal eyes.

His eyes which held so many hidden emotions.

Which held so much mystery.

Which could cut deep through anyone's soul.

Which could make any girl fall in love with one look.

His _beautiful_ coal eyes.

Her emerald orbs snapped wider in fright as he looked in her direction, but she relaxed her stiff limbs as he looked away again, just a few seconds later.

He hadn't seen her.

Her gaze hardened as he snapped his head in the direction of an explosion, and soon, he was sprinting towards a house, disappearing as he turned around the corner of the building.

Sakura let out a shallow and livid breath, her eyes forming a glare as she jumped out of the bushes and ran in the same direction he had.

As soon as she sharply, although quietly, turned around the corner, she was imprisoned in strong arms, a quiet but hot breath tickling the flesh on her neck as she was tightly pressed against the person's chest.

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt cold metal on her skin, and she lifted her head up slightly as her attacker pressed the blade of his katana upwards on her neck.

"Bad idea to follow me Sakura," the voice she knew all too well whispered darkly in her ear.

Sakura let out a snort in response, wincing as he pressed the katana on her skin hard enough to cause a small wound, but nothing dangerous.

"Bad idea to attack Konoha, _Sasuke-kun_," she retorted calmly, emphasizing on his name. Her tone was no doubt humorous, as if taunting him

He let out a low scoff. "I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you."

"But you aren't me, Sasuke-kun," Sakura whispered matter-of-fact, wincing as she felt the blade pressed harder on her skin.

"Stop playing smart with me Sakura, you're testing my patience," he hissed in her ear, his breath fanning hotly on her skin. The feeling of it making her shudder in pleasure and fright.

She chuckled. "When have you ever been patient with me anyway? I've always been annoying to you..." she said boringly.

Sasuke eyes hardened but he stayed quiet in response. He kept his firm grip on her, preventing her to do any movement, and kept his katana firmly pushed on her neck. His hand pressed harder, making the blade dig into her skin more, which resulted in her fresh blood now pouring out slowly.

Sakura let out a low hiss of pain upon feeling her neck stinging. Her blood circulation appeared to be almost cut off from his iron grip, with her own blood trickling down from the wound on her neck.

"Why are you attacking Konoha?" Sakura asked, her voice slightly hoarse since she couldn't allow herself to speak too loud. She knew it would only make the blade press deeper into her wound.

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Anti-social jerk."

His face remained emotionless.

"I can't believe I'm still in love with you, even though you're a total ass."

That sentence caught him off guard, and his body tensed slightly, but he said nothing.

"I'll never understand how I fell in love with you..." he heard her whisper, her voice almost miserable.

"_I... I love you more then anything!"_

"_..."_

"_So please...! ...Stay here with me!"_

"Stop saying that," he growled.

Her body flinched, and she turned her head to look at him angrily. "Excuse me?" she demanded.

He glared at her. "You don't love me. Stop saying you do."

"_There's nothing I wouldn't do for you!"_

She snorted. "How the hell do you know if I do or not? And what does it matter anyway?! It's not like you care!" she shouted indignantly, before squirming wildly in his arms.

_He felt her soft skin as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying her chin in the crook of his neck, crying softly._

"_Sasuke-kun..."_

_His mind refused to react at her comforting embrace, but his mind was in shock and awe. His thoughts contained pure confusion of her caring actions._

_She had been so worried about him..._

_...but why?_

_All he could do was stare at her pink matted hair with his arms lying limply at his side, his mind halfway trying to figure out why she cared about him so much, and the other, halfway touched by her actions._

He gritted his teeth as she continued to madly squirm, making it hard for him to maintain his firm grip.

Why did he have such sudden flashbacks now?

He never did.

To his surprise, she slipped out of his hold in a quick movement, healing her wound quickly while she landed gracefully a few feet away from him.

Sasuke stared at her, his eyes containing intense annoyance. "You're annoying," he tediously said.

Sakura laughed cogently, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she hissed out, "like I haven't heard that one before."

Sasuke then simply stared, his eyes bored and monotone.

"Go home."

"Why? So I can watch you destroy the village?" she growled, her eyes hardening in a sharp glare. "I don't think so," she scoffed, her hands now placed on her hips.

"_To leave the village you have to take this road..."_

"_Go home and sleep."_

Sasuke stared again, that same monotone expression plastered all over him.

"Suit yourself," he said dully, his hand tightening around his katana as he dashed towards her.

Sakura glared and her hand flicked a kunai in a half a second, immediately blocking the boy's attack.

Lightening sparked out of his blade, and she felt a sharp pain run through her arm for a moment. The sound of thousand birds chirping reached her ears and her eyes widened in realization. With a quick kick on the ground, she propelled herself backwards and away from him. Her eyes couldn't catch any movement as she saw Sasuke's figure disappear, but she had felt a sharp pain run through her stomach as he did.

Sakura gasped, blood propelling out of her mouth, and her eyes widen at the realisation that it was Sasuke who had punched her.

It was he who had attacked her as fast as lightening.

She winced and let out a shallow, painful sound, and then felt her back hit the tree trunk agonizingly.

Icy coal eyes stared back at her. "You're pathetic. I don't even have to use my sharingan to beat you," he hissed.

She glared before gasping in pain as jolts of lightening hit her one by one.

The sound of a thousand birds chirping angrily filled her ears, and her eyes dropped, feeling her body go numb after each whip of lightening she received. She stole a glance to her limbs, seeing red whisks on her arms.

Emerald orbs caught his monotone coal eyes again, and she was sure she must've looked pleading to him.

_Sakura glared at her opponent, kunai in hand as she stood protectively in front of the bridge builder._

_Sasuke appeared on front of her as fast as lightening, his arms outstretched in a protecting manner._

_He glared at his opponent, his eyes fierce and protecting while his teeth gritted together._

_He was protecting her._

His eyes hardened, and she was thrown aside to the ground, her body numbing from the pain.

"Pathetic," he whispered.

His back faced her and she felt the tears sting her eyes as she tilted her head upwards slightly to take a better look at his form walking away from her.

"Don't get in my way Sakura," Sasuke hissed darkly while never turning his head to look at her.

Her tears were held back, and she gritted her teeth, staring at his form walking away from her while she lay on the ground, her body numb with pain.

'_I can't do anything...'_

Sakura glared, picking up her body in a flash, and she ignored the pain as she threw herself at him faster then never before, clasping his arms to his side as she threw hers around him with an iron grip stronger than his was when he imprisoned her tightly a few moments ago. A kunai was in her right hand and she placed it right above his heart, still keeping his arms locked to his sides.

"I can't let you destroy the village," she whispered fiercely, her eyes shining with determination.

"My target is not the village," he replied flatly.

Sakura snorted. "Yeah it sure as heck isn't," she replied sarcastically, before letting out a growl.

Sasuke glared at her, sharply turning his head to meet her eyes.

She gasped as her emerald orbs clashed with his sharingan, and she was thrown away in a second, her body numb with pain.

"The elders are."

Screeching reached her ears, and she looked up, seeing his breathtaking figure surrounded by lashing whips of lightening.

"Chidori Nagashi," she whispered, wincing as she brought up green glowing hands to her wounds.

Sasuke stared monotonously at her, before turning around wordlessly and dashing out of sight.

Sakura let out a painful gasp, feeling her body numb with additional pain as more time went by, but she could only stare with half lidded eyes at the place he'd disappeared.

"Sasuke-kun..." she whispered with difficulty, her eyes snapping with pain as another wave of agonizing pain hit her.

'_After all this training... I'm still so useless...'_ she thought while gritting her teeth.

"I'm not gonna let you destroy this village," she whispered angrily, while weakly but slowly picking herself up from the ground.

Her eyes sparkled with fierce determination. "This village will not be destroyed as long as I'm alive," she fiercely hissed out, her legs shaking as she dashed towards the direction of the elder's house.

* * *

_It was never supposed to go this way._

_This was never supposed to happen._

_Oh why oh why Sasuke-kun..._

_Why have you chosen the wrong path of life...?_

_Why have you decided to target Konoha, after your long life goal was finally accomplished...?_

_Oh my dear Sasuke-kun..._

_How I love you so much..._

_...Yet seeing you act this way breaks my heart all over again..._

* * *

**EDITED VERSION, ONCE AGAIN.**

**REVIEW.**


	2. Naruto's Help

_UPDATE: EDITED CHAPTER._

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Naruto_**.  
**

* * *

Sasuke's feet stopped moving abruptly as he caught sight of the old Uchiha grounds. His body flinched, and he stood there, unmoving. His dark eyes scanned the area, bringing back many memories of his childhood, something that made him grit his teeth.

His mother.

His father.

His brother.

His aunts, uncles and cousins.

Everything flashed back into his mind, unstoppable like an old broken movie.

His eyes hardened as he stared at the abandoned grounds, for once containing the slightest of emotions.

Anger.

Grief.

_Sadness_.

But a chakra signature then registered in his mind, and he snapped out of his thoughts, eyes hardening and flashing red for a second.

"You'll never give up will you?" he whispered in the darkness of night, now irritated.

He took one last glance at his old home, eyes narrowing in sadness, before he started sprinting in the direction of the building of the elders once again.

* * *

"Naruto!"

Naruto punched the sound ninja to the ground, his head jerking in the direction of his team mate who had called his name.

"Sakura-chan!" he said worriedly, his eyes scanning her beat up body in worry. "What happened?!" he frantically asked as she stopped in front of him, panting slightly.

"It's him, Naruto," she whispered, her jaded orbs rising to his ocean blue ones.

His eyes widened in shock. "...Are you sure?"

She nodded, staring at him through a heavy lidded gaze. "He wants to kill the elders, Naruto. I tried to stop him but..." she paused, narrowing her eyes to the ground quietly. "...I wasn't strong enough."

Naruto smiled reassuringly, his eyes saddening as well. "I'm sure you did your best, Sakura-chan."

She looked up and smiled despite the growing pain in her chest, and nodded slightly at him.

"We have to catch him before he reaches the elder's house. If he does, we can't do anything," she stared at him, her eyes worriedly gazing into his. "I've fought him, Naruto. He's way too strong for me. He's too fast and too experienced." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You're the only one who can beat him."

Naruto frowned, suddenly unsure about being able to stop him, but he nodded nonetheless.

"We have to go," she said. "_Now._"

He nodded curtly in agreement while frowning in determination. "Let's go."

Both of them were gone within seconds, running as fast as they could, without using too much chakra, towards the building of the elders.

* * *

"Shikamaru!"

The lazy genius finished his opponents before jerking his head towards the blonde fighting her own share of sound ninja's.

"What is it, Ino?" he drawled, before frowning in worry upon the sight of her panting form.

She sliced a sound ninja's throat before turning her head to look at him, her blond hair whipping in the air as she did so.

"Where's Sakura?" she asked worriedly through her off patterned breathing.

Shikamaru shook his head in negation, revealing to her that he didn't know.

"We have to find her, she might as well have encountered Sasuke and only Kami-sama knows that he could have done to her!"

He nodded, kicking his opponent to the ground before grabbing her wrist.

"Let's go," he called, pulling the girl's wrist before releasing it as she followed him.

* * *

His dark eyes widened lightly as two chakra signatures registered in his mind this time, and it took a moment before he smirked. "I've got company," he smugly said.

The raven haired man stopped abruptly, turning around to face the ninjas who were chasing after him. He smirked as they stopped as well, and his eyes sparkled with slight amusement at the sight of their serious faces.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered, his voice harsh and cold.

"Dobe." He smirked.

His dark eyes traveled to the kunoichi beside him, her figure still beat up from his Chidori Nagashi, but seemingly having recovered from it.

Sakura glared at him full force, her teeth gritting together. "We're not gonna let you kill the elders," she hissed out.

He smirked again. "Hn."

Naruto flicked a kunai in hand as Sasuke reached behind his back, unlocking his katana from the its container and slowly pulling it out.

Sakura's hand reached for her pouch as his eyes snapped to her form, and she gasped as he was suddenly in front of her, a handsome smirk on his face as his knee hit her stomach full on, making her collide against a tree.

She let out a painful and bloody gasp as she felt her side hit something sharp which cut through the skin painfully. Her body slid down from the tree trunk and she seemed to have already lost consciousness. There was a long trail of blood that followed her fall, but for some reason neither of the boys noticed.

"Sakura-chan!" the blond cried, his voice containing frantic worry and fear.

His eyes caught sight of Sasuke's fast movements and he quickly brought up his kunai to block Sasuke's attack. The said boy's katana clashed with his kunai, and Sasuke gave Naruto an amused look, before disappearing again, only for Naruto to block his attack once more.

Naruto's ocean blue eyes clashed with Sasuke's blood red ones, and he gritted his teeth, his breath coming out in shallow breaths of anger. "You hit her," the boy whispered angrily.

"You hit Sakura-chan," he repeated in a hiss. "_I'll never forgive you_!" he snarled, blue eyes flashing red for a second, while his fists collided with Sasuke's chest, making him stumble backwards slightly with hardened, although slightly surprised, red eyes.

Sasuke's lips went into a thin line as he stared at Naruto's infuriated figure, his blue eyes flashing red from time to time, but always returning to a blue color. Sasuke knew Naruto was not going to use the Kyuubi, seeing as he remembered him saying he had always wanted to learn how to fight without his demon, ever since their last encounter.

Sasuke stared, an arrogant look plastered over his face, and he brought out his katana up and in front of him. "Fight me, then. Or else I might just end up hurting her once more," he smugly said, his lips forming a smirk as he glanced at the kunoichi knocked out on the muddy ground.

Sasuke could see Naruto's lips twitching in anger, eyes flaring in fury, and soon the blond ran towards him, his kunai in hand. Sasuke's sharingan eyes caught his every movement, red tomoes turning in circles endlessly as he soon performed his seals and jumped out of the way quickly. He brought up his hand to his lips, and out came a dragon's fire breath, directed towards the blonde who had easily dodged, his own hands forming the familiar seals for the shadow clone technique.

As expected, five other Naruto's appeared as he performed his technique.

Two of them ran towards Sasuke, and he looked at them blandly, his katana swiping through the air as quickly as lightening, leaving the two startled Naruto's falling on the floor, only to disappear in a puff of smoke.

His skilled eyes detected two more coming, and he blocked the first Naruto's attack with his arm, kicking the boy's stomach and punching the second one as it came. The first one disappeared in a puff of smoke while the other gasped, only to be pierced by the katana's blade and to disappear in a puff of smoke.

His gaze flickered from place to place as he detected other shadow clones, probably created as he was fighting the other ones, and as they all launched towards him, Sasuke impassively stared at them all, before they all disappeared as the lashing whips of lightening emitted from the Uchiha and hit them all one by one.

His ears caught a low whistling sound and he smirked, taking in hand his katana. Out of the smoke appeared Naruto with his rasengan, his other clone soon disappeared in a puff of smoke while the real Naruto ran towards him in anger.

His sharingan detected something interesting, and Sasuke smirked smugly, disappearing for a second only to appear once again with Sakura.

Naruto stopped abruptly at the sight of his pink haired team mate being held in the air by the throat, her petite hands gripping Sasuke's large one, trying to pry his hand off her neck. Her emerald eyes were only very vaguely open, revealing to them that she had just barely woken up. Naruto could see the lashing whips of lightening hitting her legs painfully, making her wince every moment or so.

His eyes widened in horror as Sasuke looked at him, a smug smirk placed on his lips. "Stop pursuing me, and I'll let her go," he flatly said.

Naruto eyes held panic as he saw the girl's grip on his hand starting to loosen.

"I...can't..." he murmured.

The Uchiha glared angrily. "_Stop_." His lips that previously formed a thin line then slowly formed a smirk.

"She will die if you don't," he conceitedly threatened.

Naruto gaped, his eyes staring worriedly at the girl slowly loosing consciousness in his iron grip. Sasuke glared at Naruto's lack of response and tightened his grip on Sakura's neck, making Naruto's eyes widen in utter horror. "Okay, I will! Just please let her go Sasuke!" Naruto cried.

Sasuke smirked, his hand letting go of Sakura's throat, making her fall helplessly to the ground, coughing violently.

Naruto immediately shuffled his way to Sakura, his eyes containing panic and pure worry for the girl coughing brutally on the hard ground.

The pinkette looked up to Naruto, her emerald eyes half lidded. "...You idiot," she whispered.

Naruto stared in shock at the girl.

"...You should've said no..." she muttered, coughing up a bit.

"But he would've killed you!" Naruto cried, putting a comforting hand on her back as she went into another coughing fit.

As the coughing died down, Sakura breathed in a sharp breath and then smiled to the boy. "Dying for the village is an honour for a ninja..."

He shook his head. "I couldn't let it happen, Sakura-chan. You know how much you mean to me."

Sasuke stood, his face motionless as he stared at the pair. His red eyes flickered with something incomprehensible as he stared at the weak pink haired kunoichi on the ground.

Sakura smiled, weakly propping herself up on her elbows, thanking Naruto as he helped her stand up. And as she stood up, her body was halfway hunched over to one side, one of her arm hanging limply, her breath coming out in sharp pants while she looked up to Sasuke, her eyes fierce and determined.

Sasuke stared back at her, stoned-face, for a while, before he turned away from them, starting to casually walk forward for a second time. "Do not follow me this time." His lips went into a thin line, unnoticed by the others. "...Or I won't hesitate to kill her."

And Sasuke ran again.

Naruto narrowed his eyes to the ground. "Sakura-chan..." he called softly, turning his stern gaze to catch hers. "Stay here."

She looked at him in surprise. "What?" she snapped, narrowing her eyes in anger and shock.

The blond haired boy looked up to her, his eyes worried and pleading. "I can't risk it. You heard him. He won't hesitate, next time," he murmured gently, his gaze narrowing down mournfully.

She glared furiously. "I can't stay here and do nothing!" she barked back at him.

He shook his head. "Sakura-chan your chakra is too low and your body is weak." He winced as her face twisted in anger at the word 'weak'. "And I just can't risk losing you."

"Weak?" she repeated in a shallow, livid tone.

He winced again. "I'm not saying you're not strong Sakura-chan! Because you are!" He sighed, looking down again. "You've just lost so much energy from the battles, and I don't think he'll hesitate taking the advantage of that."

Sakura narrowed her eyes to the ground in sadness. "I can't just sit by and watch everybody fight to save Konoha, Naruto. I'm not as useless as I was before."

He sighed. "I'm sorry Sakura-chan," he whispered, looking at her with a sorrowful look before vanishing and leaving her alone again.

His last words he had hushed before he disappeared rang in her ears. _"Don't follow. Please."_

She scoffed. "When have I ever been one to follow people's advices?" she snorted, infusing chakra in her feet. "I'm not going to sit by and watch you kill the elders Sasuke-kun," she growled, her footsteps departing into a run towards the building of the elders.

* * *

Ino picked up the small piece of ripped clothing from the ground, inspecting it carefully between her thumb and her index finger. She rubbed the silky surface, frowning slightly. Her baby blue eyes narrowed to the ground before they rose to her team mate's figure that was patiently waiting beside her.

"It's definitely Sakura's," she whispered sadly.

He nodded, standing up and scanning the area with his dark chocolate orbs. He remarked how the roof of the building beside them seemed at little trashed. He frowned, before infusing chakra into his feet and quickly jumping on the roof to inspect the area.

Ino looked up shockingly at her team mate. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

He frowned more deeply, not looking back to his team mate, while his fingers plunged in a small puddle of blood red liquid, brushing it lightly on his finger. He smelled the coppery red liquid, confirming to himself that this was indeed what he thought it was. "There's been a fight here. And someone's been wounded."

"...Shikamaru," he heard his team mate's soft voice call.

He turned his head towards her, seeing her bent down in front of a tree trunk, her head hanging low.

He jumped off the roof, carefully landing behind her, before walking up to her with quiet footsteps that echoed in the silent surroundings. "What is it, Ino? Did you find something?"

Ino looked up to her team mate, her baby blue eyes glassy from tears that had formed in her eyes. She looked back to in front of her, pointing to the blood on the tree trunk, as well as the pink locks laying on a mildly big puddle of blood on the earthy ground.

Her worried eyes rose to Shikamaru's slightly shocked ones.

"Sakura's the one who's been wounded," she whispered.

* * *

_I edited the grammar and a bit of the story, but not much._

_Oh and by the way, if people are wondering... Sakura can't heal her wound cuz she almost out of energy AND chakra. _

_REVIEW! _

_:D_


	3. Don't Follow

_UPDATE: EDITED CHAPTER._

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto!_

* * *

His skilled fingers brushed a thick lock of raven hair out of his red eyes, which were flickering with amusement. He watched the man jump from rooftop to rooftop and once again brushed a thick bang out of his eyes, while wrinkling his nose slightly.

A blur of blond and orange followed the figure he'd been watching and his eyebrows rose slightly. He wrinkled his nose again and let his lips stretch themselves in a sadistic grin as he saw the raven haired man turn around sharply, his red eyes flashing with anger and annoyance.

His sadistic grin grew wider as the youngest Uchiha snarled at the blond boy and he could not help but to keep watching as the blond boy retorted back just as angrily.

A small and thin branch hit his metallic armor and his skilled fingers caught the thin wood branch with ease. He inspected it, and his eyebrows rose curiously at the amount of blood on the branch. The cold wind whipped on him, making his thick locks of raven hair thrash furiously around him.

The wind then carried a completely unfamiliar scent to his nose.

His red eyes scanned the area where both the blond boy and the youngest Uchiha had been fighting and he could not help but to raise his brow in pure interest as he examined the scene.

The blond boy was painfully lying on the ground, breathing raggedly, while the other boy had his foot set on the blond boy's chest. It was obvious he was no longer pressuring on his chest, seeing as his face was directed ahead of him, staring at an unstable figure supporting themselves with the wall beside them.

His red eyes flickered with interest at Sasuke's shocked expression and he grinned wickedly.

Ah, yes.

The scent of cherry blossom is what the unfamiliar scent was.

...And apparently Sasuke was quite all too familiar with it.

His wicked grin turned into a smirk.

"Hm."

* * *

His foot hit the metallic surface of the roof angrily as he landed on it. Raven hair whipped in the air angrily as he continued jumping from rooftop to rooftop, while his red eyes flashed in pure annoyance at the familiar chakra getting closer and closer to him. Sasuke let a low growl escape his mouth, while a sneer fully evident on his lips.

This boy was so persistent. It annoyed him.

His mind registered another familiar chakra and he cocked his head very lightly on the side, his eyes narrowing slightly. He could see _his_ figure at the rooftop.

The man that had told him the truth about the Uchiha clan.

...And about his brother.

His eyes shut tight at the memory of Itachi.

His brother, the man he had always hated.

The man that had killed off his clan.

The man who made him spend his whole life training to get stronger and stronger.

...To one day defeat him.

The man who struggled through his sickness to survive.

The man who had planned his own death, who had made himself seem like the evil one when in fact, he had done everything to...

Sasuke's eyes opened again, a rare saddened look found into them.

_...to protect him._

"SASUKE!"

His eyes snapped open in fury and he quickly turned on his heels to meet the sight of his lifetime rival running to him. Naruto then came to a stop, leaving a reasonable distance between them.

The young Uchiha snarled at the boy aggressively, his red eyes containing pure annoyance. "Naruto..." he hissed infuriatingly.

"Sasuke." Naruto let a loud throaty growl as he stared at his rival, his blue eyes containing pure fury for him.

"You hurt her," the blond boy stated, his voice angry but calm.

Sasuke kept his firm glare on him.

"You hurt Sakura-chan."

His voice was shaking with anger now.

"You _care_ about her and yet you _hurt_ her."

Naruto's body shook with fury, his head bowed down and his hands balled into tight fists.

Sasuke's eyes furrowed in anger. "I care_**d**_," he very nearly snarled.

Shocked and watery blue eyes rose to meet his angry red ones.

"I cut off my bonds, Naruto." His eyes hardened even more. "As much as you refuse to accept it, you guys don't mean anything to me now." His lips went into a thin line. "I don't care about the past anymore."

Naruto's gaped mouth closed and his lips slowly formed a thin, angered line.

"If you don't care anymore..." His head was bowed again. "...Then why didn't you finish me off three years ago?!" he shouted, raising his eyes to meet Sasuke's taken aback figure. "Why didn't you kill off Sakura just now?!"

Sasuke's eyes hardened and he scowled, his katana already pulled out of its container as he charged towards him.

Surprised and unprepared, Naruto eyes simply widened.

His hand had reached for a kunai but he had already been kicked to the ground.

A pressure was on his stomach and his eyes widen again, only to shut tight as an agonizing pain ran through his body. His hands desperately clung to the ground and his head trashed around in pure agony as Sasuke pressed his foot harder on his chest.

"_**Naruto**_!" a desperate voice cried.

Sasuke acted on impulse.

A kunai was immediately thrown in the direction of the intruder.

A startled gasp reached his ears and he felt satisfied that his weapon had reached its target.

But he wasn't satisfied for long.

Sasuke's body flinched as the familiar scent of cherry blossom filled his nose. Naruto's ragged breathing was barely registering in his mind, because his nose had picked up another scent.

A scent he hated.

The scent of blood.

His onyx orbs slowly directed themselves to his pink haired ex-team-mate's slouched figure, eyes widening slightly at the sight of her blood covered figure.

And the kunai he had thrown was deeply lodged in her right shoulder.

_How did she get all that blood over her?! _Sasuke found himself thinking frantically_._

Her body was half slouched against the wall beside her and her left hand was gripping her right shoulder tightly. Short and painful gasps escaped her mouths every second or so and she winced as she moved her body slightly. Her legs were shaking with such intensity that he could not help but to wonder how she could stand.

It was then that he noticed another injury.

A long and extremely deep slash on her left side.

Briefly, his mind went back to where he'd thrown her against that tree, only few moments ago, and to how there seemed to be a trail of something dark following her fall.

But a choked gasp escaped her lips as she put her whole weight down on her left leg, making blood ooze out of her wound on her side, and making him snap out of his thoughts.

Her pained emerald orbs rose to his and she grimaced at the pain.

Sasuke's onyx orbs hardened as he stared at her and he scowled, quickly dashing towards her and slamming her against the wall, earning him an agonizing scream.

"Why did you come?" he hissed angrily.

Her eyes were shut tight and she gulped in a sharp breath, hissing out a curse as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and made her look up to him.

Her lips opened to speak, but no words came out.

He scowled and threw her on the ground, ignoring the painful gasp that escaped her lips as she hit the hard metal ground.

Sasuke pushed away any feeling of guilt that built up inside him as he stared down at her. He simply concentrated on getting out of here.

But he had barely lifted his foot off the ground before she caught his attention again.

"...Sasuke...-kun...!" she breathed.

He turned his head to look at her, his eyes hardened into a deadly glare. "Stay out of this," he ordered angrily.

She shook her head stubbornly. "No! I won't let you kill them!"

He was in front of her in a flash, holding her tightly by the collar. "Don't you dare order me around."

She looked into his eyes pleadingly, her hands trying to pry off his from her collar. "Don't kill them Sasuke-kun. Don't do it," she pleaded.

He scoffed. "Like I'd listen to the likes of you," he snorted, releasing his hold on her.

He turned his back to her and started to walk away, before falling to the ground face first as a foot knocked his feet down.

His eyes flashed in fury and he turned around in a flash, only to be met by a punch that he had dodged at the last possible second.

His hand gripped her wrist and he glared at her panting form. "What do you think you're doing?" he snarled at her.

"Stopping you..." she breathed, raising her tired emerald orbs to his infuriated onyx ones.

He was just ready to grab his katana before another hand took it away from him, infuriating him more.

He let go of her wrist and directed his eyes to Naruto, sprinting towards him in a flash, knowing fully Sakura wouldn't be able to stop him.

Naruto scowled at Sasuke and dodged the fast punch with ease, launching on of his own at Sasuke, which he just as easily dodged. The kick, though, was too fast for Naruto to dodge and so it hit him full on.

"Sasuke-kun, stop it!"

He ignored her and sent Naruto another kick, sending him to the ground. Naruto groaned in pain and his eyes widen as he saw Sasuke retrieving his katana and preparing to pierce him with it, before being stopped by a voice.

"Sasuke, your target is the elders. Not them."

His mind whirled in mixed emotions at the male voice, but he complied nonetheless. He placed his katana in its container and turned to meet the other Uchiha, slightly glaring as he passed him.

The other Uchiha smirked but then directed his eyes to the kunoichi barely sitting up on the ground.

She was watching Sasuke walk away.

Her eyes were glassy, as if on the edge of crying.

"...Sasuke-kun... please..." she called, weakly trying to push herself up.

The 15 year old boy stopped walking and turned his head slightly to look at her.

The tears slipped out of her eyes. "...don't do it... please..."

He looked away, his eyes directed in front of him.

"_Please, _Sasuke-kun..."

"_Don't leave!"_

_It was a desperate request._

"_I-If you go, I'll scream and-"_

_He was behind her now._

He heard her take a step.

_His breath was on her neck. _

And another.

_She was tense._

Then he heard a clink of metal, making his eyes snap wide open.

And in a flash, he was right there, in front of her.

Protecting her.

* * *

"_Sakura..."_

"_...Thank you._

* * *

He didn't know why he had rushed in front of her protectively.

It was just immediate.

It had even surprised him more then it had surprised Madara.

The second he knew Sakura was in danger, it was just instantaneous.

"What are you doing?" Madara snarled, glaring deathly at Sasuke.

Sasuke kept his firm stance in front of her, and even took a step back towards her in a more protective manner as Madara glared at her.

"Don't touch her."

Sakura was still trying to understand the situation, the more she stared in shock at the boy she loved, right there, protecting her.

"She is a nuisance," he sneered, trying to find a way around him, only for Sasuke to stop him.

"She is not the target," Sasuke retorted calmly.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura confusedly whispered.

Madara started in annoyance. "She is getting in the way Sasuke."

His eyes stole a glance at her from the corner of his eyes, before he directed his attention back to Madara.

"She won't be anymore."

The leader of the Akatsuki glared at him again, before straightening himself once more, his eyes stealing a glance at the beat up pink haired girl.

Sasuke tensed at his intensely hateful stare and stepped backwards protectively towards the girl, once again.

The long thick raven haired man smirked, before vanishing in the wind.

Sasuke took a moment as he scanned the area and only relaxed his tense body as he felt Madara's chakra was no longer there.

His stiff limbs relaxed and he fixed the katana container on his back before he started to walk away wordlessly.

"...Sasuke-kun...?"

Her soft voice had stopped him in his tracks, but he didn't turn to look at her.

"Why did you protect me?"

He stayed silent, letting unidentifiable feeling sink in.

Sakura looked down with a sad, bewildered gaze, before raising her eyes to his back again.

"...I don't understand," she whispered, stepping forward shakily.

He didn't know why he just stood there.

He didn't know why he couldn't just walk away.

"...Why did you protect me..." He heard her take a deep breath before continuing. "...when you tried to kill me... o-or stop me only moments before that?"

He stayed silent once again.

A good thirty seconds passed, where Sakura let tears roll down her cheeks silently, her eyes containing pure pain and confusion the more she stared at his back.

But after that long and silent moment, she saw him turn his head to look at her.

"...I don't know."

Her eyes widen.

"I just... had to."

She couldn't help to let more tears roll down, because she knew that this meant he still cared.

His head turned back ahead and she took a step forward, before his voice stopped her.

"Don't follow."

Her body flinched at how calmly he had said it. Her mind could not figure out why it sounded more like a request then an order.

"But-"

"I know you don't want me to kill the elders, but I have to," he cut her off, his voice raised but always calm. "They ordered the genocide of my clan." His eyes hardened. "And I can't forgive them because of that."

She stared, her tears spilling freely, letting what he said sink in.

He turned his head towards her again. "I don't know why I had to protect you..." He paused, staring in her bottomless emerald eyes for a few seconds before turning around and taking a step forward.

He stopped again, his head turning to her slightly, just so she could catch a glimpse of those onyx orbs.

"Don't follow cause'..."

"_...I just can't let them hurt you."_

"...you'll get killed."

"_...And I don't want that."_

She stared as he turned his head back in front of him and her heart almost stopped as he vanished.

She fell on her knees, her vision blurred by her tears.

She did not hear the people calling her name, nor did she look up to the duo that stood crouched in front of her.

Her head hung low and she could only feel the tears rolling down her cheeks.

A touch on her shoulder was barely felt.

And then darkness took her.

* * *

_Don't say he's OOC by protecting her because he is NOT! And WHY? Because I don't think that Sasuke would let the person kill them, and just like sit there and watch carelessly. I REALLY think that if anyone would try to kill them, he wouldn't let them. Because he STILL CARES ABOUT THEM._

_Now review.  
_


	4. Unknown Jutsu

_UPDATE: EDITED CHAPTER.  
_

**Disclaimer**_: I don't own Naruto._**  
**

* * *

Blackness.

Complete, dark abyss.

Everything felt so numb.

Everything felt so cold.

So lifeless.

A body was lying on the solid, cold ground.

Breathing.

Breathing ever so quietly.

She was a mess.

That pink haired kunoichi.

Her hair was greasy. Messy.

Mixed with dried blood and dirt.

Her stomach heaved with each silent breath.

Painfully rising up and down.

Her face was smeared with blood slightly.

Only very slightly.

Her clothes completely covered with her own blood.

Utterly _soaked _by her own blood_._.

Her body was numb.

Weak.

Fragile.

She could die from blood loss.

Distant sounds.

Barely audible.

Her eyelids itched to open.

They twitched slightly.

...But nothing.

Ushering voices.

A soothing sensation.

Who's there? What's happening?

A soft touch.

A soft whisper.

"You're such a mess..."

Who's there?

A hand.

Stroking.

Stroking her face delicately.

"Oh Sakura..."

Her eyebrows twitched lightly.

Her eyelids rose a bit.

A blond blur.

...Ino?

Her eyelids closed again.

A buzzing feeling on her side.

Light.

Soothing.

Another soft voice.

"She's in a bad state."

Concerned.

Worried.

"We should bring her to Tsunade-sama."

Shishou?

Bring her to Shishou?

But... Sasuke-kun...

Her eyelids opened halfway.

A complete blur.

Her mouth parted.

"Sa..."

She blinked slowly.

Clearer.

Vision was clearer.

"Sasuke...kun..."

Soft, soft voice.

Barely audible.

Baby blue orbs.

Worried.

Alerted.

"Don't talk Sakura..."

"Sasuke...kun... plan...ing... attack..."

Dark chocolate brown orbs.

Watchful.

Brows furrowed.

"Who?"

Blurry.

Too blurry.

She blinked.

Slowly.

Very, very slowly...

Still too blurry.

A soft touch.

Faint.

"Who, Sakura?"

Pain.

Numbness.

Wintry.

Too cold.

Too faint.

"Who is he planning to attack?"

Her mouth parted.

Her eyelids slowly fell.

"...Elders..."

* * *

She pumped a little more chakra into her hands, hovering her fingers slightly closer to her best friend's wound. The skin slowly formed again. Repairing. Repairing the pink haired kunoichi's life threatening wound.

Fingers twitched slightly.

Blue orbs squeezed shut.

With worry. Sorrow. Guilt.

Tears formed, pleading to come out.

She squeezed her eyelids tighter, pumping even more chakra into her hands.

The broken skin started to get repaired a little more quickly.

"...Ino?"

A soft, soft voice.

She opened her glassy orbs with a quiet, refrained sob, her eyes traveling to the dark chocolate colored orbs shinobi kneeling beside her. Ino blinked quickly, biting her lip as he stared at her with his eyes that showed pure concern. Her gaze traveled down to her best friend, her eyes watering even more as she stared at her bloody, beat up body.

_That damn Sasuke._

Skin.

Soft, warm skin.

A tender touch.

"She's gonna be alright, Ino," the pineapple shape haired shinobi whispered to her.

His dark brown orbs observed.

Observed as she bit her lip harder, almost down to the blood.

As her fingers twitched, the light of the medical jutsu flickering out.

As her blond locks fells in front of her eyes, hiding them slightly from sight.

As a translucent liquid ran down her cheeks.

As she unexpectedly threw herself at him, hugging him so tightly while the tears spilled even more.

His dark brown eyes narrowed in compassion.

They traveled down to the body of the pinkette on the ground, her breathing quiet.

Her life threatening wound repaired for the most part.

Her life saved. By her best friend and lifelong rival.

He held the crying blonde kunoichi's back with one of his hands, the other still warmly placed on her arm.

Consoling her.

Comforting her.

Making her understand that he was there for her.

That he always would be.

After a while, his fingers moved lightly on her arm, something only she knew.

Slowly, he removed his hand and brought it up to the side of his head.

His finger pressed on the button of the tiny communicative machine in his ear and he opened his mouth to speak.

"Nara Shikamaru speaking. We have an injured kunoichi needing serious care."

"Copy that. Where are you, Nara?"

He scanned the area. "About 3.6 miles behind from Ichikaru's."

"Roger. We'll be there in as soon as we can."

"I also have crucial information," Shikamaru cut in, before the shinobi could immediately depart.

"How crucial?"

"The most crucial you can get."

"Spill."

"Uchiha Sasuke is on his way to the Elder's house. Planning to kill them."

A pause.

"Roger that, the information will be delivered immediately and the Elders with be put to safety."

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed. "Nara Shikamaru, out."

"Mikorato Desu, out."

* * *

His cold red eyes inspected the empty room. They flickered rapidly every moment or so, his anger rising each time they landed on the empty, lifeless places.

His mouth went into a very thin line, his nose flared up angrily, and his pair of red eyes flashed terrifyingly.

"Kuso..." he cursed through gritted teeth.

His hands clenched tightly. "Kuso..." he cursed again, teeth gritting together harder.

His hand shot up angrily to his neck, brushing away the painted cursed seal.

A smear of black paint was clear across his neck.

He'd painted it because he knew people would fear him for that.

But now, they would suffer the wrath of Sasuke, fearing him _without_ the god damn cursed seal.

His eyes flashed dangerously, and quicker than most shinobi could, he disappeared from the empty room with a snarl.

"God damn faithful shinobi getting in the way. At this rate, I'm gonna kill this whole village," he angrily snarled as his foot harshly landed on a rooftop. The cracking reached his ear and a sadistic smirk grazed his lips.

"Feel my wrath, Konohagure," he hissed.

* * *

"She'll be alright, right Tsunade-baa-chan?!"

It was a distant, worried voice.

Her Shishou made a sound of agreement, before putting down her hand above her right shoulder, pumping the medical jutsu in her hand to make the broken skin of Sakura's wound repair quickly.

A low groan escaped the pink haired kunoichi's lips.

"Sakura-chan!"

His voice was clear now.

She also clearly felt him embrace her body tightly.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Sakura-chan!" he whispered to her, before tightening his embrace.

"Naruto..." Sakura whispered, lightly pushing away the boy. "...You're hurting me Naruto..."

He let her go ever so gently, his hand placed on her shoulder, watching as she fluttered her eyes open slowly.

"Are you feeling alright?" he asked worriedly.

She gave him a slight nod, her hand rising to her forehead, pressing gently there. "I'm alright..." she whispered, before groaning softly at her pounding headache.

Suddenly, the reality of the situation kicked in and she snapped her eyes wide open. "How are the elders?! Did Sasuke kill them!? What happened?!" she eagerly asked, jumping out of her bed, only for to fall on her knees, seeing as they were still too weak to support her body.

"They are fine. Thankfully, Shikamaru has passed on the message when you told him," her Shishou responded calmly. "You should rest Sakura, you can't fight like this."

She weakly stood up, frowning. "I'm not going to stand by and watch, Tsunade-shishou!"

Tsunade looked at her, shaking her head. "You have to, your body is too weak to fight. Sakura you don't even have much chakra left."

Sakura's shaky hand shot in her pocket and she took out her special Sakura soldier pills. "If I take these, I'll be alright!"

Naruto opened his mouth, only to be rudely caught off by an explosion that sounded near.

_**Too**_ near.

"It's Sasuke Uchiha!" a voice cried.

"Everyone, charge to stop him! He cannot reach Tsunade-sama!"

Their eyes widen at the sound of terrified scream and metal clashing with metal, accompanied with creaking sounds of thousand birds chirping.

"Tsunade-sama, you ha-" But the voice of the nurse that had barged in was rudely interrupted by a katana piercing her.

Another explosion was heard, and the next thing they knew, they were all on the ground outside.

Furious cries of fear everywhere.

The village was basically on fire.

Dead bodies lying everywhere.

But Naruto could not concentrate on all these things, because his worry was entirely directed towards his pink haired team mate that was lying on the ground, while painfully, harshly breathing.

"Sakura-chan!" he cried, stumbling over to her.

"...Naruto..." Sakura rasped out.

"Naruto, Sakura!" their Hokage called out.

"Tsunade-baa-chan! I think Sakura's hurt!"

The fifth Hokage had joined their side soon, her face smeared with ashes, as well as her clothes.

"...I need some chakra," Sakura whispered, wincing as she moved her right arm.

Tsunade crouched down, quickly healing Sakura's broken arm, frowning as the girl looked at her seriously.

"Tsunade-shishou, I know we haven't perfected the technique, but this is our only chance."

Tsunade's lips formed a sneer. "No!" she ordered firmly. "We have no idea what could happen Sakura! We have no idea what could happen to _you_!" she growled out.

Sakura chuckled lowly before grabbing Naruto's hand tenderly and looking up to him with pained eyes. "Naruto... lend me some of your chakra..."

Everything was happening too fast for Naruto's liking, Sakura's sentence barely registering in his mind.

"Don't do it, Naruto!" his Hokage furiously warned.

Sakura's soft hand grabbed his tighter. "Please... It's our only chance..."

He stole a glance to Tsunade, met by a furious pair of honey eyes, before looking down at her again with a slight nod. "If this is our last resort," he whispered to her.

"Naruto, do not-"

But it was too late, because he had already begun giving his chakra to Sakura.

With each second passing by, Sakura's strength returned.

But also with each second passing by, Sasuke was approaching them.

Green eyes rose up to the approaching boy.

Glaring furiously.

Another flash of light.

And then everything was silent.

* * *

His footsteps tapped quickly on the ground, scanning the area endlessly with his lavender orbs. His eyes caught sight of the bun haired girl running beside him, panting slightly, her eyes fierce and determined as she stared ahead. His eyes then caught sight of his other team mate running beside TenTen, whom was looking as determined as ever, like he always did. His gaze turned to his female team mate again, and he frowned a bit.

"TenTen," Neji called.

She turned her brown orbs to him. "What is it Neji?"

His hand reached to hers and he grabbed her hand lightly, making her flinch, but she immediately relaxed as she felt him put down something in her hand.

As he retreated his hand back to his side, he looked ahead once more, browns furrowed again.

TenTen confusedly looked down at her hand, her brown orbs rising in confusion at the small red candy like sphere.

"Take it. It'll make you feel less tired."

She looked at him and smiled, plopping it in her mouth. "Thanks, Neji."

He looked at her again.

"...Hn."

She smiled once more, only to abruptly stop as a blinding white light flashed.

"Wha-"

But she was interrupted by a painful scream.

* * *

The light died down.

But only very, very slightly.

A blond haired shinobi lied on the ground, groaning as the light blinded him. He rose his head, only to groan once more as it hit something hard. He fell back to the ground with a hard _thud_.

"Itai..." he murmured, squinting his eyes open, only for them to snap wide open in shock.

"...What?"

There was a long, shocked silence.

His calloused fingers reached out slowly, his eyes simply captivated by the sight. The tip of his fingers touched the hard translucent texture. It wobbled. It glowed. It was see through. He put down his whole hand on the cold transparent texture, his breath itching at the feeling of the texture moving slightly under his palm.

His mouth hung open in shock.

"..What... is this?" he whispered to himself.

A painful scream caught his attention.

His blood went cold.

He'd recognize that scream anywhere.

-

-

It was _Sakura_'s.

* * *

Her fingers twitched on the ground, and she let out a pained sound when she pushed herself slightly off the ground.

A slash of hurt ran across her back, and she couldn't help but to let out a small cry, falling back down to the ground.

("We don't know what this could do to _you_!")

She smiled bitterly at the irony of it all.

_(I guess they know now...)_

Her fingers pressed against the ground again as she tried to stand up, only for the slash of intense hurt to come back. However this time, it ran through her entire body.

Her body flinched at the pain.

And a long, agonizing scream escaped her lips.

_(...It would __**hurt**__ her.)_

* * *

_Review. :)_


	5. Learning About It

_UPDATE: EDITED CHAPTER._

**Disclaimer:**_ I don't own Naruto._

* * *

Her long hair whipped in the air as she spun around on her heels quickly, hitting her opponent's chest with her palm, before staring at him with determined lavender orbs. Her eyes scanned the area quickly and she softly gasped as she saw a sound ninja already sprinting towards her. She spun, but she knew she wouldn't be able to block his attack.

A metallic clink resounded in the air and the purple haired woman could only stare in shock at the scene. Her lavender orbs caught by the sight of her brown haired man team-mate tackling the sound ninja who was attacking her, the enemy's kunai plunging in his right shoulder.

She ran to him as he plunged a kunai in the sound ninja's stomach, and inspected his wound on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?!" she hurriedly asked, pushing up the sleeve of his shirt up some more, to inspect the wound better.

The man nodded, a grin apparent on his face. "It's nothing, I'm fine. Are you hurt?" he asked softly, looking at her with pure concern.

She shook her head and smiled. "N-No, thanks to you I'm n-not," she replied gently.

He smiled warmly at her. "I'm glad."

A blinding white light flashed and both of them covered their faces with their arms, trying to block out the blinding light.

"W-What's going on?" Hinata gasped softly.

The light died down slightly and both team-mates took their arms down, staring at each other in apprehension.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kiba confessed, his eyes hardening as he stared at the area where the light still glowed strongly.

Hinata nodded slightly in agreement, her eyes wandering to the figure walking towards them.

"Let's go," was all the dark haired man had said, fixing his small circular black glasses on his nose.

Hinata nodded firmly, accompanied by a compliant grin coming from Kiba.

* * *

A faint scream reached his ears.

His eyelids fluttered slightly, before a soft groan escaped his lips as he blinked his eyes open completely. His fingers twitched lightly as he laid there, his mind buzzing lightly, but soon he pushed himself up slowly, eyes snapping open at an unfamiliar sight.

His coal eyes widen.

_...What the...?_

He stared.

Stared at the wobbling, glowing and see through substance.

Stared and wondered about what the hell was happening.

His palm reached out to touch it and he frowned at how much chakra this substance contained. His brows furrowed more as he pushed on the substance, his skin burning lightly as he forced his hand onto it some more.

He retracted his palm, inspecting his slightly burnt hand and his eyes hardened. Reaching out towards his weapon container, he smoothly pulled out the sharp katana, frowning as he swiftly swung it across the substance.

His eyes widened in pure shock as the tip of the blade that had barely touched the substance was now cut off.

He let out a low hiss, infusing chakra into the blade, his mind now completely set on getting out.

He swung his chidori blade, ready to swipe through the substance, but came to an abrupt stop when a soft, pained voiced called out soft words.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

He flinched, slowly turning his head towards the voice, his eyes widening slightly at the sight.

She was looking up at him from the ground, blood running down from her lips, her body shaking madly. Sasuke couldn't help but to keep staring as she coughed on the ground, blood propelling out, something that made her hiss out a curse.

"What's happening?" Sasuke flatly asked, his tone holding a slight edge.

She looked up, smiling bitterly.

"My jutsu. Like it?" she said, chuckling cynically.

He glowered deathly at her. "How do I get out?" he growled out.

"You can't."

His eyes turned a murderous red and he advanced to her slowly, only for him to stop as he detected a hardly noticeable substance. His fingers reached out to touch it and he hissed out a curse as he felt his hand burn at the contact of the hard substance.

"I'm the only one who's able to reach that shield," she softly explained, before wincing as she pushed herself up from the ground.

His eyes snapped up to her slightly tired emerald orbs. "Cancel it," he calmly ordered.

Her eyes stared right back to him, with a calm but daring look, although she kept silent at his order. She did not even move an inch.

"Cancel the god damn jutsu," he snapped, his voice now clipping with a threat.

She shook her head firmly, her mouth forming a thin line. "No."

His eyes went murderous again. "Sakura..." he dangerously hissed out.

She glowered back at him, her hands fisting. "This jutsu won't ever disappear, and it won't even disappear if you kill me. It will only disappear when my tasks are done."

Sasuke let out a throaty growl, slamming both his hands on the barely discernible shield, ignoring the pain of his skin burning against it. "And what exactly is your task? To make me fall in love with you?" he snorted, laughing coldly as his eyes pierced right through her.

She let out a bitter laugh, her lips forming a mischievous smile. "Why, of course not Sasuke-kun. Making you love me is one of my _impossible dreams_."

He stared at her impassively, although his eyes still held that dangerous threat.

"Get me out," he hissed out, glowering at her slightly shaking form.

Sakura let out a low scoff. "Like hell I would."

The sound of a thousand birds chirping slowly reached her ears and her eyes widened slightly in shock. Her gaze snapped down to his right hand, where an electric sphere seemed to form, small whips of lightening lashing out, and she opened her mouth to warn him.

"Sasuke-kun, don-"

But it was too late. He had already plunged the chidori in the shield.

* * *

"Naruto!"

The blond haired boy snapped his head backwards, his frown turning into in a relieved smile as he saw the wolf eyed man running into view with his team mates, soon followed by Neji's team.

Kiba stopped abruptly at the unfamiliar yet captivating sight of the glowing see through substance and his mouth hung open in shock. "What the hell is that?"

Naruto shook his head, pushing himself off the ground, and he then hissed out a curse as his right shoulder weaved off in painful waves.

The lavender eyed girl noticed his injured shoulder and she softly gasped, putting her small hand in front of her mouth. "N-Naruto-kun! ...Y-You're h-hurt!" she worriedly stammered, before quickly running up to the injured man.

The blue eyed boy gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Hinata, really."

At that moment, a blond haired kunoichi came running into view with her two team mates, and she ran to meet up with the rest of the gang, her eyes mostly directed at the shield-like substance. "...What is this?" she asked, alerted.

The pineapple shaped haired man stared at the wobbling substance, his dark chocolate orbs scanning it. "This is nothing like I've seen before."

The blonde kunoichi's baby blue orbs widened at the sigh of her pink haired best friend slowly standing up, her form shaking. "What's Sakura doing in there?!" she cried, running over to the shield, her palms pressing onto the substance.

Naruto shook his head, his eyes narrowing to the ground. "...It's her jutsu..."

The rookie nine looked at him in shock.

"This is Sakura-san's..." Lee trailed out.

Ino could only stare in shock, her palms pressing softly on the wobbling substance, before her eyes narrowed to the ground. "...I thought I heard Sakura saying something about a new jutsu..." she whispered, backing away from the substance.

"What?" the bun haired kunoichi asked, now truly inquired.

The blonde sighed softly. "Sakura told me, a couple months ago, that she and Tsunade-sama had been working on a jutsu that could be used as a last resort..." She paused, breathing in sharply. "...She said that they hadn't perfected it yet and that there was still a lot of work to do from it, but she did tell me that this jutsu would be indestructible."

Naruto's ocean blue orbs widened, his mouth slowly dropping in surprise. "...You mean that..." His eyes stared right back at the shield-like substance. "...This shield can't be destroyed?"

Ino looked away, her eyes directed to the pink haired kunoichi's firm figure. Her gaze narrowed in slight confusion at the sight of her determined orbs. "...Is there somebody with Sakura?" She asked softly, her voice clearly confused.

The rookie nine snapped their heads towards the blonde, their eyebrows raised.

TenTen turned her head to her lavender eyed team mate, her eyes pressing into his.

Neji nodded, having understood what she wanted, and activated his byakuugan, a frown apparent on his face as he scanned the inside.

They watched as his mouth went into a grim line.

"...Uchiha."

And before anyone could express their shock, a blinding light once again flashed, accompanied by a scream that Naruto had not heard since long ago.

* * *

His body lay on the ground in twinge, jolts of pain running through his body endlessly as he shakily pushed himself up from the ground, met by emerald orbs looking at him worriedly.

"You can't use your jutsu's here, they're going to turn against you," she breathed to him, while her hands hovered over his chest where his own jutsu seemed to have hit him.

His hand gripped her wrist tightly, his coal eyes now red. "Why are you helping me?" he growled out icily.

She stare, for a while, but then shook her head sadly. "You're my team mate..." she murmured, her eyes narrowing to the ground.

"You still consider me as your team mate, even now that I'm trying to destroy the village?!" he snapped frigidly.

She met his eyes, her green orbs seemingly slightly glassy, but she slowly nodded her head. "I believe that there's still some good in you, Sasuke-kun..."

He tightened his grip on her wrist, earning him a small cry from Sakura.

She met his edgy red eyes.

"...You've always been good, deep inside," she whispered to him, her voice soft and gentle.

A metallic clink was heard, and Sakura gasped at the feeling of a sharp weapon on her back.

"Would killing you still make me good?" he bit out, his angry red eyes staring right through her.

Her orbs stared right through him.

"You wouldn't do it."

Red eyes widened slightly in utter shock, but they soon hardened again.

Emerald stared back at red.

"You wouldn't be able to."

Calloused fingers twitched slightly on the handle.

"You still care."

Slowly...

Very, very slowly...

Emerald watched as red turn a shade deeper.

Deeper, and deeper...

Until the beautiful color of coal engulfed his eyes.

...And then the sound of chirping birds reached her ears.

* * *

She gently brushed the blood way from his injured shoulder with the wet rag, blushing lightly at the way he watched her wash his wound. As gently as she could, she continued to wash away the blood, before putting down the rag as she was done.

Slowly, she performed a series of hand seals, bringing a blue glowing hand to the wound, a small and relieved smile grazing her lips as the skin slowly repaired.

She'd learned a bit of healing techniques over the years.

She was nowhere as good as Ino or Sakura (_especially_ Sakura) but she was good enough.

Naruto kept on observing as she let her small, slender fingers hover above his wound, observing as the skin slowly repaired itself, and observing as her slightly flushed face had concentration plastered all over.

Ino watched from afar, almost smiling, as the lavender eyed woman continued to heal the loud mouth's wound, and she almost laughed as Hinata blushed when Naruto happily complimented her on her healing abilities.

"Do you know if the jutsu can be removed?" she heard someone lazily drawl.

She turned her head towards her dark chocolate orbed team mate whom was watching her, his hands shoved in his pockets, and his back resting against a tree trunk.

She shook her head. "Sakura is the only one who can..." she replied, smiling regretfully.

He observed, his eyes narrowing in compassion for the girl. "She's gonna be alright," he reassured.

Ino looked up, her eyes slightly unsure, but then she smiled cheerily. "Of course! Sakura's a big girl now, she can handle anything," she exclaimed, laughing kindheartedly.

He stared back at her calmly, before his attention was snapped to the sound of a thousand chirping birds.

The eyes of the rookie nine widen, and Naruto's eyes snapped open in pure worry.

The lashing whips of lightening filled the shield and Naruto could not help but to run over closer to the scene.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

* * *

_I have a couple things to say._

_1. The beginning can be considered as a KibaHina moment, but it wasn't my intention at all. But you can take it in whatever way you want._

_2. Obviously you've probably noticed there are hints of other couples... such as NaruHina, NejiTen and ShikaIno._

_3. I apologize for the lack of SasuSaku moments, I promise it'll come._

_4. Sorry if the chapter was crappy (or not.. i dunno...) but I'm really sick right now so my mind was like "ehnn... emmmmm?? Ugh..." all along. if you know what I mean._

_5. There's actually a lot of SasuSaku moments, its just they're really implicit. I think the only really obvious one was when he protected her... but anyway, the end of this story is going to be a major SasuSaku moment and there might be a kiss. I don't know. _

_P.s. You'll learn more about this jutsu later on. _

_Now review. :)  
_


	6. They Are WHAT!

**FINALLY I get some boost to update this story! It's been THREE WEEKS. I was getting pissed off at myself. I ALWAYS update regularly! Grrr. –hits self- BAD MEL.**

**Whatev. At least I'm updating now :P**

**Disclaimer: -sings- I don't own Naruto! –happy smile- -then frowns- wait... I shouldn't be happy about not owning Naruto! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME! –hits self again-**

* * *

He felt to the hard ground with a grunt of pain, eyes shut from the electricity running through him. He let out a low hiss as he sat up, his body shaking lightly, looking ahead of him to see if he had hit the pink haired kunoichi.

He wanted to hit her with the Chidori Nagashi.

Not kill her.

Just hurt her.

Hurt her just about enough so she could finally let him out.

But as his eyes landed upon the sight of Sakura staring at him with worried although angry eyes, unaffected and completely safe, his eyes narrowed in anger and confusion.

"You freaking idiot!" She bellowed, glowering deathly at him. "You're a god damn stubborn persistent bastard, you know that?!"

He was half listening, half trying to figure out why the hell she hadn't been hit.

"I told you, Sasuke-kun! I _**told**_ you not to use your stupid dumbass—" his eyes shot up angrily _'did she just call my technique stupid and dumbass?'_ "—techniques because they would _turn against you_!" She was no longer all that angry. Just annoyed and snappy.

'_Ugh. Men.'_ She irritably thought.

"Why aren't you hit?"

She snapped out of her thoughts, looking at him with questioning and edgy eyes. "What?"

"Why didn't my Chidori Nagashi hurt you?"

Emerald green narrowed dangerously –_adorably_. ""Was it _supposed_ to hurt me?" She growled.

He blinked, staring at her boringly. "Hn."

"You are the most arrogant, cruellest, dumbest, hottest—" He smirked at that last one, "—persistent, egoistical, stupidly proud person in need of anger management class, that I have EVER met." She shrieked, throwing a punch on the ground.

He had been amused by her ranting of insults, before his skilled eyes suddenly caught sight of something glowing on her skin. He blinked and in an unexpected movement, he caught her wrist harshly.

She let out a small whimper. "WHAT THE HE—"

But his hand clamped over her mouth and he leaned his face to hers, his hand releasing her mouth as he was close enough, making her blush tenfold.

'_Is he going to—'_

* * *

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

He pressed his palms eagerly on the shield jutsu, pounding almost desperately on it as the lashing whips of lightening continued. And as it ceased, he tried to see through it, but it was too bright inside. He couldn't see a god damn thing!

"N-Naruto-kun!" A lavender eyed girl stammered, running over to the poor boy. "Naruto-kun, y-you should s-stop moving so abruptly!" She squeakily exclaimed, grabbing his forearms so he would stop pounding. "Your w-wounds will open a-again!"

He stopped but his next movement was abrupt and unexpected. He grabbed the young girl's shoulders and approached her so she was mere inches from his face. "Hinata-chan, I need you to use your byakuugan for me!"

The girl blushed tenfold but nodded meekly a few seconds after staring into those worried, pleading ocean blue orbs. She turned her head to the shield while the boy still held onto her shoulders tightly, and activated her byakuugan, scanning the area in the shield. She squinted her eyes at the blinding light inside, frowning and squinting her eyes again.

All she could defined were blurry forms.

But her eyes widen at their close proximity and their positions.

She eeped and backed up a few steps, making the blond haired boy tighten his grip on her shoulders, a worried expression overcoming his pleading one. "Hinata-chan!" He exclaimed, catching the poor girl before she fell.

The lavender eyed girl blushed and let herself be pulled up to her feet, stealing one last glance in the shield, blushing more furiously before she deactivated her byakuugan. "A-Ano..."

"What's happening in there, Hinata-chan?!" He exclaimed, his tone completely eager to know.

She blushed deeply again. "Sasuke-san... And Sakura-san... they're... th-they're..."

But the girl was interrupted by her older cousin. "Kissing."

The loudmouth's jaw dropped to the floor. "THEY ARE _WHAT_?!"

* * *

She was interrupted by his blunt, flat voice. "That's why."

She opened her eyes, feeling stupid to think he would kiss her, blushing at the fact that he probably knows she was actually waiting to be kissed.

"W-Wha—" But she was interrupted by his fingers brushing her cheek lightly, his eyebrows scrunched down as he did so.

She almost melted right there.

His fingers were calloused no doubt.

But they were soft.

Soft and gentle.

A sneer formed on his lips and he glared at her, taking her completely off guard, judging by his previous gentle action.

"Sas—"

"You have a shield."

She blinked. "Wha—"

"You have a shield on your skin."

His eyes narrowed in annoyance as her pink lips parted in shock, her eyes widening. "Y-You—" She stammered. "...How did you figure that out?"

His fingers brushed her chin this time, caressing her lips (although he really didn't need to), making her blush so deeply that it would put a tomato to shame. "That blue light hovering very dimly from your skin." His voice was dreary and smooth, almost making her believe he really was uninterested.

But she knew him better.

She was sure he was fascinated.

And curious.

She bit her lip, missing the way his eyes flickered down to her lips, lingering on her teeth digging on her bottom lip, before he ever so quickly looked away.

His eyes found a particularly interesting sight and he smirked.

"What is this jutsu exactly, Sakura?"

His voice was calm, surprisingly.

She looked at him, slightly shocked. She pursed her lips. "What do you mean?"

"Did you create it?"

Her eyes widen slightly, but turned back to their normal size, a curious expression found within them. She nodded slowly, pursing her lips. "...Tsunade-sama and I have been doing research." She commenced, her voice quiet and soft. She turned her face away from him. "It was to be used as a last resort and we spent months on it, trying to perfect it but no matter what, there was always something wrong with it." She paused lightly, bringing her knees up to her chest.

"One day, we thought we perfected it but..." Her eyes narrowed down to the ground. "But Tsunade-sama found out that the technique drained most of the energy out. Barely one percent of chakra and energy was left in the body. That meant in would result in death, if not treated immediately. Luckily, I got saved quickly, with everybody ready as I performed the technique to try out." She sighed. "Everything we did was a failure."

"How come can we see them clearly, but they can't see us?" He questioned.

She turned her head to his form half sitting up from the ground, looking somewhere with a serious expression . She turned her head to where he was looking, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the blonde haired man pounding furiously on the shield, yelling something they couldn't understand. He was looking around frantically in the shield, as if he couldn't see a thing.

Sakura breathed in quietly and slowly. "It's too bright for them to see inside. Even with the byakuugan, it's still kind of unclear."

He frowned, then smirked at the sight of both Hyuuga's glancing in the shield, byakuugan activated.

Sakura looked at him, blinking confusedly as she saw him staring straight at her, a smirk present on his lips. "Sasuke-ku—"

But she was pinned to the ground.

His face dangerously hovering above hers.

So close their lips were almost touching.

"Sakura."

She was too shocked and too frozen to respond.

His mouth barely touched her flesh as he went to lean down in her ear. "Tell me, what are your goals?"

She was numb and too stunned to answer.

Her mouth parted.

His breath fanning her flesh made her mind hazy.

His firm body above her made it all too impossible to think.

So the words slipped out of her mouth without her knowing.

"To bring Sasuke-kun back to the light."

He froze.

* * *

**That's all I can get out. It's really freaking short, but that's all I can get out. Maybe I'll make another update tomorrow... well more like TODAY if you think about it... it's 2 am... so like I'm really tired... that might be why I can't get anything else... meanwhile enjoy.. and I'm sorry about the whole delay thing... ugh... I don't know what to write for this story anymore but you guys have to know that I never abandon a story. We'll see what happens tomorrow.. xD**

**Suggestions are appreciated and accepted. lol :P**

**Revieww... even though i've been a total bitch for not updating for three weeks and giving you this short chapter.. XD **


	7. It Didn't Mean Anything

**I know I said I would update the next day but I couldn't. I was bombarded with stuff T-T oh well, at least I'm updating today lol. I'll try making it a long update, kay?**

**Disclaimer: -yawns- eh. Yeah, well I don't own Naruto…**

* * *

A whiskered blonde haired ninja pounded furiously on the shield, his face contorted with anger and desperation. "SAKURA-CHAN! SAKURA-CHAAAAAAAAAN!" He called furiously, pounding without stop.

The tears were stinging his eyes now and he let out a choked breath, calling out her name brokenly, his legs crumbling down on the ground as the strength left him completely. He wheezed raggedly, his hand gripping his chest area which was constricting so painfully he could hardly breathe. The tears started to slowly stroll down his cheeks as he recalled the scene that had just happened a few seconds before.

She…

He choked a sob and cried out her name, his fists balling tightly, hate building towards the raven haired man.

He couldn't believe Sasuke had done that. He couldn't believe that he…

…that he…

His body crumbled on the ground as the shield slowly disappeared and he couldn't even bring himself to look up.

…He knew he'd see her bloody body on the ground.

* * *

_Naruto was pressed against the shield once again, his brows creased down as he squinted to see through the blinding lightness of the chakra-shield._

"_Naruto-kun?" He heard Hinata question softly._

"_I thought I saw something move…" He mumbled in response, sighing and moving away from the bright moving substance._

_Hinata frowned but managed to nod lightly at the worried man._

_He was so worried about what was happening to Sakura. He was so worried Sasuke might attempt to do something._

_Neji and the others had thought they were kissing earlier, but they managed to conclude that Sasuke just wouldn't do that. Maybe Naruto would've actually kept on believing he really did if Sasuke had kept his close distance. Maybe Naruto would've actually kept on believing he did if Sasuke hadn't made that next move._

_Maybe Naruto would've actually believed he had the slightest of feelings towards her._

_But as the light of the shield diminished, slowly but surely, he caught sight of Sasuke lunging towards her._

_Katana in hand._

_Aimed directly at her chest._

_Naruto could only helplessly stare, his mouth dropping in pure horror in disbelief._

_He couldn't even scream as the blade of his katana pierced her right through her._

_Her fall went in slow motion._

_Falling slowly…_

_He could see every movement, every expression of pain and shock._

…_It was only as her body hit the ground come that his cry of desperation came out._

"_SAKURA-CHAN!"_

* * *

"Naruto!" A voice called out worriedly.

The voice was faint.

Naruto couldn't breathe anymore.

He couldn't talk. He couldn't hear. He couldn't move.

He could only cry.

"Naruto!"

It was a different voice, this time. But it was still faint.

"Damnit what the hell happened?! And where are they gone?!" Another voice growled.

His mind whirled. _'Sasuke… Sasuke is gone… Sakura…-chan… is…'_

"…Naruto-kun…"

His fingers twitched as he heard the shy female murmur his name worriedly. He felt a small hand on his back, the warmth radiating off and warming the spot a little. His ragged breaths and sobs were still heard as she gently helped him sit up, looking at him with a pained look in her eyes.

"…Naruto-kun… What happened?" She asked quietly and softly.

He couldn't bring himself to answer, but he did grip her wrist tightly, as if searching for comfort. She gasped lightly as his head suddenly dropped on her shoulder, his hands gripping her own out of pure desperation of comfort. She put her arms around his torso to support him as he continued to cry.

Her eyes softened and the tears prickled her eyes at how miserable he seemed.

"Sakura…-chan… she's…" He wheezed before choking out the last word. "…dead.."

Hinata flinched. "Naruto-kun, what do you mean she's—"

"TEME STABBED HER!" He shouted, his head jerking back to look at her with his angry, broken face. "HE KILLED HER!" He shouted brokenly, once more, shaking her shoulders.

But before Hinata could say anything, he bit his lip and fell back against her.

Hinata tried her best to comfort him, but she only managed to calm him down a little. She lifted her head up as the others approached curiously, confusion in their eyes.

"Hinata-san, what happened?" Her cousin asked, frowning at the sight of the boy shaking with muffled sounds escaping his lips.

"Neji-ni-san… Naruto-kun said that Sasuke…" She lowered her head to the boy. "…killed Sakura."

Neji blinked. "…He didn't." He finally answered after a while.

The kyuubi container's head jerked in the direction of the Hyuuga male. "What do you mean 'he didn't'!?" Naruto angrily shouted.

Neji frowned. "Haruno's chakra is faint, but it's still there. I think Sasuke has taken her with him."

"That's…impossible…" Ocean blue orbs widened. "I saw him... He... He killed her..."

* * *

His feet landed gently on the soft grass and he looked around cautiously before putting the unconscious girl down on the green turf, his fingers lingering lightly under her head before he completely slipped his hands away from her body. He stood up, taking a step forward to prepare to leave, but his body wouldn't move.

His head turned slowly to look down at her, red eyes staring blankly at the quietly breathing girl.

As she was sleeping like this, she didn't seem like the tough Sakura he'd been stuck with for more then half a day. She seemed like the soft, fragile and kind hearted Sakura that he left so many years ago.

But the changes were still quite evident.

She looked more mature, and had the face of a young woman, instead of a young girl. She also looked more firm and confident of herself, looking as though she was proud of the person she had become. But even as he looked at those features, he could still see that she still had the same fragile heart he'd broken so many times.

His hands fisted lightly at that last thought and he turned around once again, his eyes widening lightly as he came face to face with Madara.

"Sasuke." The man greeted, his eyes glinting furiously as he looked down at the girl on the ground.

Sasuke stared back unemotionally, although his stance was slightly frigid.

"Where were you?" The long black haired Uchiha hissed.

Sasuke's eyes hardened lightly. "Completing the task that you—"

"The elders are still alive." Madara cut off, his blood red eyes sharpening.

But as he saw the girl stir, his lips stretched themselves into a smirk. "But of course, they aren't going to be alive very long. Pein and Konan are currently taking care of them." He murmured, his smirk growing wider as the girl flinched.

Sasuke, too, knew she had awoken. "You said that it was my—" He began, nearly snarling.

"Clearly you don't look capable of doing it." The other Uchiha cut off again, his voice smooth and low.

Sasuke snarled in response, unconsciously stepping back towards the girl, like he just knew Madara had the intention of killing her.

Madara looked at Sasuke, and then at Sakura, and he sneered at her. "You, girl. You're still alive." He hissed.

Sasuke didn't even glance back to Sakura, but he knew she was glaring back at the man. "Of course." She hissed back.

"Why didn't you kill her?" Madara angrily said, not tearing his eyes away from Sakura.

"She can't interfere. I don't need to kill her." His head tilted to the side a little, catching a glimpse of her. "She isn't a bother."

Madara snickered. "Isn't a bother? _Every single villager and ninja in this village are a bother, Sasuke._"

Sasuke didn't move or answer, but simply glared back.

"Choose who you fight for." Madara said simply, his voice on an edge.

And then he vanished.

* * *

Sakura looked up at the man a few feet away from her, frowning as he stood still, his back facing her. She noticed his hands were balled into tight fists. So tight his knuckles were white.

"Sa—Wait! Don't go!" She called, gripping his wrist before he could jump away.

He snatched his wrist away from her, glaring at her. "Forget about what happened, Sakura. It was nothing." He growled, stepping away from her. "What happened back there were lies." He hissed, turning his head to the side so he wouldn't look at her. "…Nothing but lies." He whispered quietly, his eyes containing the slightest emotion that she had no time to identify.

She stepped forward, her hand clutching her shirt where her heart was supposed to be. "It was anything but lies, Sasuke!" She cried to him, glaring as he jerked his head to look at her, his eyes containing anger.

"You don't know what you're saying." He hissed out.

She glared back at him. "Maybe I don't know what I'm saying sometimes! But this isn't one of those times! I _know_ what I'm talking about. All of what happened back there was true." Her eyes softened. "They weren't lies, I know." She softly finished.

He clenched his teeth, trying hard not to let the anger show.

* * *

"_To bring Sasuke-kun back to the light."_

_He froze._

_And for a long moment, he couldn't manage to move. He could just stare in shock at the girl beneath him. But after a while, he managed to look away, his eyes shutting tight._

_Her mouth parted lightly. "I—"_

"_Why hasn't this shield disappeared?" He growled._

_Sakura blinked. "I told you that this shield wasn't going to disappear before I achieve my goals." She said softly, blinking at the man who still had his head turned away from her._

"_You said your goal was to bring me back to the light." He stated rather angrily._

_She nodded slowly, her emerald orbs shining with confusion of his behaviour. "Yes."_

"_Then why hasn't this shield removed itself?" He hissed through gritted teeth._

_Her eyes widen. "You—"_

_The next thing she knew, she felt something warm on her lips._

_But as soon as the contact came, it was already gone._

_She sat up and stared in confusion at the teen a few feet away from her, looking ahead of him, instead of looking at her._

_Her breath caught in her throat as she realised that he had kissed her._

_It was a very short kiss, yes, but it was a kiss nonetheless._

_A short lip to lip contact._

"_Did you just—"_

"_I was never entirely in darkness." He interrupted, ignoring the question she was going to ask._

_He wouldn't have answered it anyway._

_She stared and gaped, her eyes widening. "But you—"_

"_You're coming with me." He muttered, jerking his head to look at her, his eyes spinning red._

_She fell into blackness after that_

* * *

"You kissed me." She said, her voice almost desperate.

"Physical actions don't always mean something." He muttered, clenching his teeth once again. "You should know that."

"That wasn't nothing!" She finally shouted, stepping towards him.

He stepped back. "It didn't mean anything Sakura."

"Then why did you do it?!" She retorted, tears ready to fall.

He didn't answer.

Slowly, he saw two tears streaming down her face, her hands gripping her shirt more tightly. "It meant something, I know." She said, her voice cracking lightly. "You don't do something for nothing, Sasuke-kun."

He watched impassively as she inhaled a large breath as if trying to remain a normal breathing pattern.

"Naruto deserves to have the woman he's always wanted." Sasuke muttered, turning around to leave.

"And I deserve the man I've always loved! The man I will always love!" She yelled back, making him stop once again.

"And I don't deserve you." He whispered under his breath, infusing chakra in his feet before jumping on a rooftop.

He stopped on the rooftop and turned to look at her one last time, waiting for her to get ready to jump before activating his sharingan, making her fall into unconsciousness.

"Sasuke…-kun…" He heard her whisper, before she started falling.

He had vanished and appeared in front of her, catching her falling body before it hit the ground and he put her down gently against the Sakura tree.

He sighed.

…and realised it had been a long, long time he hadn't sighed.

…She…

His teeth clenched and he shut his eyes tightly, swiftly turning around to leave for good this time.

…She was able to make him do all these things he missed doing.

_Like feeling._

* * *

Naruto ran over to the area Sakura's body was supposed to be and his eyes widen in utter shock at the realisation that she really was nowhere to be seen. "Well teme could've brought her dead body with him and—"

"What would he do with a dead body, Naruto?" Ino sneered at him.

He buried his head in his hands. "Damnit… this is so confusing…"

"Are you sure it wasn't an illusion?" Neji questioned, looking at him sternly.

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't see any hand sign or—" Naruto flinched as he remembered seeing red the time he ran to the shield.

"…or?"

"Shit." Naruto muttered, snarling something the rest of them didn't understand.

"What'd you say?" Ino questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"The fucking teme tricked me with his sharingan!" Naruto hissed.

Neji raised a brow. "And so it was an illusion."

Naruto nodded. "Dirty trick, teme. That was heartless of you to make me think she died." Naruto muttered, as if he thought Sasuke would hear.

Sasuke had indeed heard, seeing as he was sitting on the rooftop, smirking down at the gang. He made a small noise of amusement before standing up departing once again, heading towards the area he knew Pein and Konan would be.

As well as every other member of the Akatsuki.

* * *

**Yeah… sorry for the late update! :S I usually don't do this… **

**I actually thought there would be no kiss, but hey that one seemed like it could fit in. Haha :P**

**Hope you enjoyed…**

**:D**


	8. He Chose

**Hey! I actually found a particularly good plot for this chapter…**

**Disclaimer: -sighs- I don't own Naruto… T-T**

* * *

Soft.

Her hands were touching something very soft and delicate.

It was a familiar feeling, but she could not quite guess what it was. Her mind was so hazy that she could not think. She couldn't concentrate.

The wind blew against her skin, making her shiver at the wintriness of it. It awoke her senses a little. The haziness was slowly starting to wear off. A distant sound of an explosion echoed faintly in her mind and she stirred, struggling to open her eyes.

Sasuke really didn't hold back with his sharingan. The effect was so strong that she still felt like she was going to be knocked unconscious.

The wind blew again and she shuddered intensely at the cold feeling blowing harshly on her, making her clothes and hair thrash around. Her eyes fluttered open slowly as the wind continued to waft and she wasn't sure if the sound metal clinking lightly was only her imagination.

A groan of drowsiness and pain escaped her thin lips and she hunched over, coughing lightly. The wind raged again and she wrapped her arms around herself, gritting her teeth. _'So cold…'_

The same metallic clinking resounded again and Sakura's head snapped down, suddenly realising the sound came from her pockets.

It was metal, yes, but far from being a weapon like kunai. It was a small, metallic sound. She hesitantly reached into her pocket, knuckling one of her eyes before taking in hand whatever was in there.

Her slender fingers made contact with something small and ice cold, and her eyes widen lightly. She grabbed the small, metallic object, bringing it out of the pocket and hesitantly looking down at it. Her eyes widen.

…It was a key.

She pursed her lips, but couldn't bring herself to say anything.

…The key for the _Uchiha compound_, to be more precise.

* * *

"Sasuke." A deep voice greeted darkly, his voice almost a hiss.

The raven haired teen barely acknowledged him as he glanced at the tall and broad orange haired man. He didn't reply.

"The elders have been taken care of. The only one missing is the Hokage." The man's eyes darkened. "You know where she is, don't you?"

Sasuke shrugged carelessly. "No." He grunted.

It was true. He didn't know where she was. He'd never encountered her after the hospital incident. He didn't care, either way.

"Liar…" Pein hissed violently.

"Sasuke-kun is _not_ a liar!" A voice retorted angrily.

Pein's dangerous stare made the red haired girl stop talking abruptly. "If he's not a liar. He's indecisive."

A hard but questioning glance was thrown at his way and Pein smirked. "You don't even know who you fight for anymore, boy."

"I don't care about this village." Sasuke spat, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "It can be destroyed to ashes for all I care."

"I'm not too sure about that, you know." His smirk darkened sadistically. "Ever since you encountered your old friends, you seem to be tempted to—"

"They're not my friends." Sasuke cut in harshly.

A low, dark chuckled escaped the bright haired man's lips. "Surely one of them seems to be _more_ then a friend."

The jealousy on Karin's face was clearly seen, but Sasuke didn't react. Not visibly, that is. But inside, he was whirling with rage.

"Lovely girl, really. Not the best looking kunoichi, but she has good skills. Smart too."

Sasuke's eyes darkened, but he responded nothing.

("Who the hell is he talking about, Sasuke-kun!?")

"Unusual color of hair. You like unusual things, don't you Sasuke?"

"I don't care." Sasuke replied coldly, pressing his back against the cold stoned wall.

"Then you won't mind if we sent somebody to kill her now, I suppose."

His eyes snapped up in pure anger. "She isn't a bother in this mission. Leave her _alone_." He hissed.

Pein smirked. "You don't care, huh?"

His obsidian orbs hardened even more, if it was possible. Sasuke clenched his teeth tightly, something like a furious, threatening growl leaving his lips.

"It's too late anyway. Madara has already sent someone to do the job."

* * *

She opened her palm completely, raising it so it was eye levelled with her. She pursed her lips once again, murmuring something inaudible. Her slender fingers stroke the small red and white fan attached to the clef, and her eyes softened. The key was a little different than the copies they had, and Sakura guessed this was the original.

'_Could this be…'_

Her hand shook lightly and she bit her lip.

'…_Sasuke-kun's key?'_

The thought was sharply denied. "He left." She murmured. "He left and betrayed the village. He didn't have any intentions to come back." Her eyes dropped lightly in sadness. "Bringing the key would have been useless to him."

She sighed, shaking her head lightly before she brushed herself off and clumsily pushed herself up. She groaned quietly, stretching her sore limbs. "Damn… the technique still drained a lot of chakra out… I don't have much left." She murmured to herself, rubbing her sore elbow.

She looked down at the key. "But then when did this…?"

A clink of metal was all she needed to hear to duck down quickly. She felt the metal dash right above her head, almost cutting off her hair, if only slightly. She looked up quickly, gritting her teeth.

"Good reflexes." A low, female voice commented.

Sakura glared at the unfamiliar blue haired woman, clenching her teeth once more as she noticed the Akatsuki robe.

"…Akatsuki." Sakura murmured, slowly rising up in a firm stance.

The woman stared at her uninterestingly. "I already don't like you, girl." Her eyes rose lightly, something akin to disgust shining within them. "You annoy me."

Sakura scoffed. "Why you sound just like someone I know." She retorted, huffing indignantly.

"Sasuke-kun?" The woman suggested, her eyes now sparkling with amusement.

Sakura's eyes hardened. "Yeah. That…" she trailed out, not able to say the word she wanted so desperately to say. "…that man."

"Traitor."

Sakura snarled. "…What?!"

"You were going to say 'traitor'." The woman repeated, annoyance clear in her tone. "They told me you were smart. You don't seem to be."

Sakura ignored the rude comment. "Yeah, I was going to say traitor." She murmured back, a threatening sneer grazing her lips.

The blue haired woman smiled. A smile too disturbing for Sakura's taste. "He _is_ a traitor."

Sakura swallowed hard, not knowing whether she should answer or not. The words were stuck in her throat however, and so she chose not to reply.

"What? You don't believe it?" The blue haired asked, feigning a hurt expression.

The pinkette fisted her hands tightly, looking away.

"Why don't you go ask him? He probably needs your help right now anyway." The woman smiled sadistically. "You know where he is, girl."

Konan vanished moments after, leaving a speechless Sakura. "…Why would he need me?"

* * *

Sasuke grunted in pain as his body collided with the dirty floor, a thin line of red liquid starting to run down his mouth. "Choose who you fight for. Now."

"You already know who I'm fighting for." He spat back, wiping the blood from his mouth.

Madara and Pein were looking down at him dangerously. "The thing is, we _don't_."

Sasuke mumbled something under his breath, unheard by the others. Pein pushed his foot down on his chest hard, making Sasuke hiss in pain. "What did you say?" Pein hissed threateningly.

Sasuke glared and replied nothing, grunting in pain as Pein pressed his foot harder on his body. The feeling of ribs breaking slightly made him howl in pain. "I'm fighting for myself." He snarled, gripping the man's foot and shoving him off. "Not for you. Not for them. For _me_." His eyes hardened lightly. "…And to avenge my brother."

Madara's eyes seemed a bit lighter now, like he was satisfied. "Which means you are still against the village."

Sasuke wanted to nod, he really did. But as the times flashed in his mind, he just couldn't manage to.

The more the memories came back, the more he hesitated. The more he thought about the times, the more his pink haired team mate invaded his mind. The more he just _couldn't_ bring himself to say he was still going along with the plan to destroy his home village.

Madara took a step forward, his eyes narrowing almost too threateningly for a emotionless man like him. "Sasuke… Are you, or are you not with us?" He asked flatly, staring at him impatiently.

The memories continued to pass, and his eyes slowly rose to meet Madara's irritated ones.

* * *

_He stared down at the key laying flatly on his large palm, his crimson red eyes scanning the Uchiha emblem slowly. He looked down at the unconscious girl lying on the hard and solid roof, and he looked away after a few moments. His eyes strayed down the key again, as he thumbed it gently._

…_Would… Would she…_

_He immediately dissuaded that thought, scoffing lowly._

_No._

_**No.**_

_There was _no way_._

No way _that he would—_

_He looked back to her, blood red eyes scrutinizing her petite, knocked out form. He was silent and still for a few moments, red orbs latched onto her porcelain face illuminated by the soft light of the moon._

_And for one moment, he disappeared._

…_Only to reappear very few seconds after._

_His back was to her now, and he was standing at a fair distance, his arms pressed down on the bars of the roof. He stared quietly at the surprisingly calm place of the village, his droning eyes simply studying the area._

_The key was no longer in his hand. Nor in his pockets._

_No longer on himself._

_He glanced back to her, flatly observing her figure for a moment._

_Now she—_

_He was beside her within seconds, picking up her body as he finally decided they should leave. They would be discovered if they stayed longer._

_Now she—was the one who had the key._

_She would understand why._

_...She would… understand…_

…_She would, right?_

* * *

That's right.

He had to—

"Sasuke…" The man growled, finally snapping.

"I already told you. The only side I am on is my own." The raven haired boy said monotonously.

It was sure that this wasn't going anywhere good after he'd spoken those words.

* * *

She wasn't sure if he'd be here.

…but this had to be the only place, right?

…He'd…

…He'd actually given her the key.

…That meant he would wait for her there, right?

She took a hesitant step forward, swallowing hard at the sight of his old home. Her hand touched the door very lightly, freezing momentarily as her flesh made contact with its wooden texture. She took a deep breath before sliding the clef in the keyhole, unlocking the door and quickly stepping in, her heart beating erratically.

It wasn't entering the home that made her scared and nervous.

It was the idea of this… this _thing_ being a sort of plan… a catch… a trap... anything!

It took her a while before she moved again, taking three quick steps forward. She swallowed hard again. "Sa… Sasuke…-kun?"

Her emerald orbs squinted in the darkness, frowning as she received no response.

Was he playing with her feeling? Had he tricked her into believing he would be there?

She swallowed dryly, biting her lower lip hesitantly.

…Or did he simply want her to wait for him to come...?

* * *

Blood.

His own blood.

Dripping and dripping.

Endlessly falling down on the ground, forming a small puddle.

His eye was bleeding profusely.

Mangekyou was too tiring to use now.

He wasn't standing a chance against those two.

He received another blow and was launched backwards, stumbling down on the pavement of his home village, a howl of pain escaping his thin lips.

The other hadn't intervened.

_Karin. Juugo. Suigetsu._

They been held back by the other members.

...Or did they just not want to help him?

"Sasuke!"

A different voice.

He knew that voice.

…but why couldn't he remember?

"SASUKE!"

His lips twisted upwards into a smirk.

"Dobe." He muttered.

His bones felt like they were being crushed and he slowly started to lose the ability to feel his body.

He was becoming numb.

Sasuke knew what that meant.

_…He was slipping away._

* * *

**Yeah, that'll be all for today. Just so you guys aren't confused or anything, Akatsuki tried to kill him because he said he was on his own side, which meant he was really indecisive towards whether he was going to fight with them or against them. But since he still had a strong attachement to his friends, they knew he would turn good again eventually.**

**So they tried to kill him. Key word: TRIED.**

**Reinforcements are coming.**

…**and so is all the SasuSaku fluff.**

**This ends in like 2 chapters. 1 minimum and 4 max. XD**

**Hope you liked!**

**:D**


	9. Just One Kiss

**SNOW DAY YESTERDAY!! WOOOT! XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

"_SASUKE!"_

It was a faint cry in the mind of the dying Uchiha. It had barely registered that his best friend had called his name. It had barely registered that reinforcements had come. It had barely registered that someone was picking him up.

Nothing ever actually registered in his numb mind.

"_Sasuke—"_

But the voice had abruptly stopped, something like a hitched breath following the unfinished sentence.

His barely lidded orbs could hardly define the outline of the person looking down at him. He couldn't even tell what color of hair they had. Everything was too dark for him.

Blinking slowly, he continued to stare at the person above him, struggling against the darkness because he _just wasn't ready for death yet._

"_Sasuke! If you can hear me, blink!"_

No such movement was made by the weakening raven haired man.

A choked breath and a throttled sob reached his ears. _"TEME! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME TEME! DON'T YOU DARE!"_ The voice brokenly cried.

He was now aware of the tight grip the person had on him, and his vision became a little clearer. Much to his relief, he knew who the person was as he saw blond hair.

"…Dobe…" He rasped out quietly, grimacing at the numbness overtaking again.

"…TEME…!" Naruto cried in relief, a comforted grin grazing his lips. "Don't scare me like that!" He laughed nervously, fear shining clearly in his blue orbs.

But Sasuke's face didn't even so much as flicker with the slighest emotion.

"…It's going to be fine. We chased them away for the moment."

The Uchiha heir didn't respond.

"…you'll team up with us to kill them!"

But there was no response, once again.

"…right?" He whispered, biting his bottom lip in hope.

But it was then that Sasuke slipped out of consciousness.

"…_SASUKE!"_

* * *

She didn't quite know what to do.

Part of her thought it would be best to go join the others to fight, because it was obvious that this was just a trick.

But another part of her told her to wait. That he would never give her his most preciously kept key for nothing. That he would expect her to wait for him.

She didn't know which part of her to believe.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

She jerked her head towards the direction of the voice, gasping lightly at the sight of the door flying right open, revealing a heavily panting Naruto who was…

…holding a bloody unconscious Sasuke?

Her breath hitched and she let out a small cry, stumbling forward a few steps. "S-Sasuke-kun!" She stammered softly, putting a hand over her heart as it tightened painfully.

"Is… is he…"

"He's not dead." Naruto reassured, a tint of hurry and fret in his voice.

A muffled sob escaped her lips, but she composed herself again, furiously wiping her eyes before she stood up straight and confident. "Hurry, put him on the table! We have not time to waste!"

And although she tried so hard to seem strong and without worries, Naruto could clearly see how worried she was about Sasuke. He could see the desperation in her eyes, like she just hoped so strongly that he would survive. He could clearly see the fear in her eyes. _The fear of losing her only love._

"Sakura-chan…" He whispered, his eyes narrowing in compassion.

"Naruto…?" She called quietly, stroking Sasuke's cheek lightly.

His head rose up a little, staring directly at her. He swallowed hard before replying, "…Yeah?"

"…Could you… give me a minute… with him?"

She had looked up to him now, her eyes filled with tears that had been held back in the past few minutes. Naruto could clearly see how much pain she was in. Fearing that the love of her life was going to die. Fearing that she wouldn't be able to save him. Fearing that…

...that this would be the last time she could see him.

For a moment, Naruto couldn't bring himself to speak. His throat was dry and the words had been stolen away. It seemed he had just forgotten how to talk.

The idea of Sasuke dying made him sick.

Sasuke, dead?

No.

_No_.

_**No**_.

It was impossible.

Sasuke was invincible.

"Please…" He heard the pinkette murmur, biting her lower lip as she looked at him pleadingly. "…_Please_…"

Naruto stiffened lightly, swallowing hard. But still, the words just wouldn't come out, and so he settled for a curt nod.

Even if something inside him just burned and pleaded for him to eavesdrop and spy on them, he knew this just wouldn't be right. _'No… Sakura-chan deserves to have the privacy she desires…' _He thought sympathetically, sighing quietly as he turned around the corner of the room.

But before he was completely out of range to hear their (it sounded weird to say _their_, since it would probably only be Sakura talking) moment, he managed to catch her broken whimper.

"_Oh Sasuke-kun…"_

It pained him to hear such a broken hearted tone.

* * *

Something wet and warm trickled down her cheeks as Naruto finally left the room and she didn't feel the need to hold back her tears anymore. She didn't want to have an utter break down, and she didn't plan onto having one… but letting out the tears she'd been holding back for so long was sure to make her feel a bit better.

'_Better…?'_ She questioned bitterly, her mouth forming a thin line._ 'Sasuke-kun might die, how is everything going to be better?'_

She hated herself for thinking this way, but it was the truth.

Sakura was very low on chakra, and Sasuke had so many wounds that she just didn't know if she'd be able to save him.

Sure, she could ask the others to lend her some chakra, but they needed it too. They were still in danger with the Akatsuki roaming around. Everybody needed as much chakra as they could.

She stroked his unbelievably pale face, choking a sob. "Oh Sasuke-kun…" She whimpered, her voice holding pure heartbreak and pain.

Knowing she did not have any time to waste anymore, she began to inspect his wounds, wanting to find the ones that were the most life threatening so she could hopefully heal those. If she could heal his life threatening wounds, then he would be able to survive.

Her fear of his death grew more and more as she inspected his entire body, turning him gently when she wanted to check his back. It was so sickening to see his body so bloody and so broken that it took her literally everything not to start crying.

And as she finished to inspect him, she felt the urge to throw up.

_Most of his wounds were life threatening._

She would most likely not be able to save him.

…but she could still try.

Taking in a sharp breath, she raised her shaky hands and placed them on his chest, closing her eyes as she felt his broken ribs, biting her lip as she realised they were almost literally crushed. The feeling of his heartbeat on her palm was a relief, but also sickening because it was so faint.

She took a deep breath and began pumping chakra into him.

The bones started to repair, she could feel it. She always found it so awkward the feeling of the skin or bones repairing under her palms or fingers. It was always such an odd feeling, but she was used to it by now. It was just the fact that it was Sasuke's bones and wounds that she was repairing…

…it made her feel like the scared beginner she was when she first started.

A slight and barely audible cough reached her ears and she jumped lightly, a small gasp escaping her lips as she saw half lidded obsidian orbs looking directly at her. His mouth was parted lightly, breathing in and out painfully, and he would shut his eyes every so often when breathing became a little too hard.

She would feel his heartbeat accelerating, and then slowing, and then accelerating once again.

It was an unstable pattern that she hated.

He hadn't said anything in the moments she healed his ribs. He hadn't said anything in the moments she healed his other wounds. He hadn't said anything at all as he felt weakening. He hadn't said anything at all.

Maybe because he couldn't, since he was after all barely conscious during this healing session.

Maybe because he didn't want to, being the stubborn emotionless Uchiha he was.

Or maybe he didn't really know what he would say if he spoke.

And although he didn't talk, his eyes never strayed from her face. He never looked elsewhere. Even when she looked back at him, feeling observed, he didn't look away. He keep their gazes locked, and he would still look at her when she would look away, a blush on her face.

He never looked away.

He wouldn't want to.

Most of his wounds still had to be healed, but she had almost no chakra left. He could see it on her face, the sorrow and the guilt of not being able to heal him. She could see the pure fear growing each second as her limbs began to shake from chakra exhaustion. But she never stopped. She never would. Not even if he'd tell her to.

Her chakra started to fade, flickering out every second or so. But she kept going, tears flowing down her cheeks as she no longer felt she could heal. She knew that there was still a chance to save him, but only if she gave her own life for him.

And just as she was about to continue, a hand gripped her wrist lightly. She jerked her head down to look at him, looking utterly shocked at his firm stare. She knew that if Sasuke had more strength, the grip he had on her wrist would be a vice-like one. But he currently had no strength, so this is the best he could do. She could easily tug away her wrist if she wanted to.

He didn't speak, and she didn't think he would have even if he had the strength to. He was just staring at her firmly. A stare that controlled.

…He wasn't going to let her give her life for him.

"Sasuke—"

The grip tightened, if only slightly, and she cut herself off. She bit her lip at the feeling of his hand slipping lightly on her wrist, and she knew it was because the strength was slowly withering away from him. His hand was also soaked with his own blood, she then noticed.

She leaned down so her face hovered above his, tears starting to stream down relentlessly as she stared in those half lidded eyes. They were starting to shut. Slowly, but surely.

It was then that Sakura's heart literally started to crack. A crack was added after each second past by. She hadn't realised she was holding her breath. She could only feel the pain of her heart slowly shattering into pieces as Sasuke's life was slipping away.

She couldn't save him.

He wouldn't let her give her life for him.

She _couldn't_ save him.

The feelings she tried to hard not to show were slowly starting to appear, and she finally witnessed a moment where he actually showed he cared. It had been so long ever since she'd last seen him care. It had been so long ever since he was wiling to show he cared.

As her face slowly crumbled into a broken hearted expression, she could see his blank eyes turning into a deep emotion.

Fondness.

Mixed with a bit of sadness.

She then started to breakdown.

* * *

Warm and wet.

He felt them slowly trickling down on his skin.

Her tears.

_Sakura's_ tears.

She was crying for him. Crying for herself.

Crying because she didn't want to let him go. She didn't want to let her only love die. She didn't want to see him die.

He was everything to her.

For the first time in so long, he actually felt something.

It kinda felt good.

Being ridden of emotions for so long seemed almost like a curse. A curse he'd bestowed on himself.

She was still stroking his cheek, whimpering and murmuring things he couldn't quite catch. But he was sure she was pleading him to live, or that she was confessing to him a million times.

It was quite predictable.

"Sakura…"

Her name left his lips without him really wanting it to.

It had slipped.

She looked startled, her chokes stopping abruptly.

"…Sasuke…-kun…?" She questioned, hiccupping softly.

"…You're annoying."

His lips were twisting upwards in a smirk, and something inside of him lifted as she smiled to him. A true smile.

She laughed through sobs, and he felt content inside to make her happy again. Even if he was dying, he could make her happy.

She stared at him through pained but soft eyes. "Sasuke-kun..?" She suddenly asked after a moment of silence.

He didn't answer, but she went on anyway. "Can I… ask you a favour?"

It was silent for a while, and he looked at her as if inquiring her to go on.

"…Can I… can I kiss you?" She quietly asked.

She was gazing deep into his eyes, and he was startled, to say the least. His eyes didn't really so much as flicker with surprise, but he was completely taken aback inside.

There was a long silence, and he didn't quite know what to answer.

"…once… just once… a real kiss… you… you'll be gone after and I…"

"…Aa."

She looked up, surprised.

But then she smiled softly at him, a smile so true and beautiful. A smile he always loved to see.

…and a smile only for him.

It was the smile she always used to give him.

The space between them was already less then a foot away, and he didn't quite know why he suddenly felt anxious inside.

She stroked his cheek with the pad of her thumb before closing her eyes and leaning closer, closing any gap that had previously been between their lips.

Her lips were soft, he noticed.

Soft and warm.

They felt nice against his own.

He expected her to take advantage of this opportunity and to deepen the kiss, but she never did. She had simply let her lips pressed against his, unmoving. She was letting them linger there for a while, memorizing how warm and pulpy his lips were. How she loved to feel them against her own.

And he just memorised everything of her.

Her scent, her touch, her face, her skin, her hair, her clothes, her hands…

…her lips.

Everything.

The world suddenly seemed so hard to leave now.

* * *

**Okay, update done!**

**This is nearing the end…**

**Oh and if you're wondering how Naruto found Sakura well there can be many ways…**

**1. Sasuke could have woken momentarily to tell him to go there. (unlikely)**

**2. He could have asked Karin to locate Sakura. (very likely.)**

**3. He could have located Sakura himself with lots of concentration and such… (not so likely, but it could happen.)**

**Review! **

**:D**


	10. Saving His Life

**My computer isn't really working right now so I'm on my laptop (that I just received for Christmas! YAY!) and weirdly I don't have Microsoft word on it so now I'm using this other program which is sorta like Microsoft word. Lol. Anyway. I realized this is pretty much my only story who STILL has an actual plot. I mean, no really, my other stories tend to become ONLY FLUFF after a while (like 'Unrevealed Mistake Of A One Night Stand') and they lose their plots... XD I've lost a couple readers because of that, but oh well, you know? Fluff is good! Yeah, there's that and I don't know how to end my stories most of the times. :S**

**Anyway. I'll update now lol. **

**-standard disclaimer applied-**

**P.s. I wrote this update while listening to 'I'm sorry' by Tommy Reeve. It's recommended while reading this. :) (and it really fits SasuSaku :O)**

* * *

Giving him up had to be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do, and Sakura wasn't even sure if she would be able to let him go. She knew for sure that her heart would break a million times just to accept the fact that Sasuke was dying and that there was nothing she could do about it. But letting him go... she wasn't even sure her heart would be able to take it.

For a split second, she pressed her lips harder on his, an act of desperation and of plead. She felt Sasuke's body tense lightly, but he made no movement to stop her from kissing him. It wasn't long before Sakura pulled back, staring directly in his vacant onyx orbs with her pained and heartbroken emerald pools. The salty liquid of her tears stung her eyes as they threatened to fall, but she didn't want to let them slip, even though she clearly knew that crying would probably ease the pain she was currently in. Especially as she witnessed the fact his eyelids were slowly closing shut, and the fact that his heartbeat was sickeningly slow.

"Goodbye... Sasuke-kun..." Sakura choked through tears, stroking his cheek gently.

His eyes glimmered faintly with something she didn't know what it was, and he stared at her with his three quarter shut obsidian orbs, his mouth parting open to say something. He was quiet for a while, staring blankly at her, but he managed to move his lips. Sakura was taken aback as she realized that he had spoken her name silently, although she hadn't really heard anything. But she couldn't even say anything in response because his eyes had slipped shut completely few seconds later.

It took a while before the painful realization sank in.

Sasuke was slipping into eternal darkness.

And the realization broke her heart.

"Sa... Sasuk..." Her breath hitched, emerald orbs widening in pure disbelief and pain, "...SASUKE-KUN!" She cried brokenly, slipping her arms around his limp body and pulling herself flushed against him while she wept and wheezed onto his bloody chest. This moment brought back the painful memories of the past, back when he was still with them. The laughs they shared and the tears they lived through...

But she was specifically remembering the time in the mist village where she, and everybody else, had thought Sasuke died. She was like she is right now, crying on his bloody figure, except the pain was more intense and Sasuke was bloodier. And she was a grown up kunoichi. A chunnin.

She hoped Sasuke would wake up like he had at that time. She hoped he was only unconscious. She hoped that everything would all be okay and that Sasuke would be just fine in the end. She hope so hard that he wasn't dead.

But seeing him so limp and so broken, seeing him so... so... _lifeless_...

Sakura just knew that this wasn't the same.

"Don't die... Don't die Sasuke-kun..." She whispered into his shirt, chocking lightly onto her words. "Wake up..." She pleaded, gripping the material of his bloodied shirt tightly in her small hands. "WAKE UP YOU TRAITOR!" She cried out brokenly, breaking into a fit of tears and cries of pain, once again.

Sasuke was still alive, but just barely, and she was sure he could hear her, probably loud and clear. The only thing she wasn't sure about was whether he was fighting against his death or if he was simply giving in, finding no point in resisting if he found no purpose in life anymore. But even if he would fight, Sasuke had no strength to fight with. It would be the same as giving in.

The memories of the past kept on flashing before her eyes, of all the times they'd been together as a team, of all the times he'd saved her, of all the times he showed he cared...

...and of that time he left.

Biting back a sob, she placed a hand on her neck on the area where he had hit her to knock her out and she closed her eyes, breathing a long, sharp but still quiet breath. The pinkette rubbed the spot gently, fingers grazing her smooth flesh repeatedly, stilling completely as she felt a different texture on her skin. Realization seemed to kick in immediately as she remembered what this mark was. Performing her seals quickly, Sakura took in a sharp breath, a smile grazing her lips as she realized that this technique would save his life for sure. She couldn't believe she had forgotten about it.

It was the technique Tsunade had taught her about storing chakra in one place, only to be released in extreme situations.

Pressing her palm against Sasuke's chest, she wasted no time in performing her technique, making sure that the chakra would process into his body instead of hers. A blue light hovered faintly around her hand, glimmering very dimly for a while before it started to shine brighter and brighter as more of the chakra was transmitted. Green marks started to form on her hand, running all the way up to her arm, stopping at her shoulder, while other marks glided on Sasuke's skin, engulfing almost his entire body.

Sakura watched through half lidded eyes as the wounds on his body healed all too quickly, bringing pure relief into her being, especially as his most life threatening wounds healed completely and quickly. His chest suddenly heaved up quickly, and in the same time, a long and sudden breath left the Uchiha's lips. Obsidian orbs revealed themselves under closed eyelids, looking utterly taken aback and dazed. He breathed in and out quickly, almost panicking for a second, until he finally recognized his old home.

The marks on Sakura's arm and Sasuke's body finally faded away, as did the blue glowing light, and an eerie silence took over for a few moments, where Sasuke was trying to figure out why he was still alive. But the silence didn't last long, seeing as Sakura collapsed on the floor, no longer able to support herself after all of this chakra exhaustion. Sasuke's body sprang up in a sitting position and his head jerked in the direction of the sudden movement, almost frowning at the sight of a heavily panting Sakura on the floor.

"You're alive..." She whispered, letting out a sigh of relief. "...thank god..."

He stared, his eyes almost vacant, but holding that certain curiosity and unease as her breathing became more unstable. He wondered, for a moment, why he couldn't feel Sakura's chakra anymore, and wondered if it was because of his dazed senses that he was unable to feel it or if it was simply because she really had none left.

But as he saw her eyes slipped shut, he didn't bother to wonder anymore. Something inside him simply itched and pleaded to take her somewhere more comfortable where she could properly rest. Sasuke wasn't quite sure why he went and picked her up and actually brought her into _his_ old room on _his_ old bed. He could've simply let her on the cold tiled floor of the kitchen, but for some reason the idea simply seemed wrong.

Just like that one time, when he left Konoha. He couldn't bring himself to let her on the cold stoned floor, and the bench had been his best option. He would have wasted time and would have taken the risk of being caught if he went through the trouble of bringing her back home.

He stayed quiet as he slipped his arms off of her body, sparing her one last glance before he left the room (reluctantly.) And as he left the room, he stopped for a moment, his eyes glued on the dusty wooden floor, those dark pools holding conflicting emotions as he started to ponder a little. He turned, just enough so he could look at the closed wooden door of his old room, and his eyes softened, if only just a bit. His gaze faltered after a moment, and he shook his head lightly, starting to leave once again and this time, with the determination of never looking back.

It was working fine, until he saw Naruto.

Both stood, a good ten feet away from each other, Sasuke looking cold and arrogant, while Naruto looked serious yet delighted. A sheepish grin grazed the lips of the blue eyed boy after a moment, but Sasuke didn't even so much as smirk in response. "So, are you in, teme?" Naruto slyly asked, his grin growing broader.

It took a few moments before Sasuke finally smirked.

That all it took for Naruto to be reassured that Sasuke was now with them, once again.

* * *

"I don't trust him."

Yellow spikes ruffled for a second as the blonde sharply turned his head to look at the person who had spoken, and soon a frown joined his questioning features. "Why not? He came back to us!"

"How do you know it's not just a trap? How do you know he's not just manipulating us to drive us into this humongous trap that will kill us all? How do you know he's really back?" The shaggy brown haired man asked, his wolf-like eyes narrowing in pure distaste and anger. "I don't trust that god damn traitor." Kiba finally spat, growling lightly.

"HE CAME BACK TO US! ON HIS OWN!" Naruto defended angrily. "...And he's not a traitor!"

"Not a traitor? You dumbass, he betrayed Konoha!" Kiba yelled back, standing up from his seat and trudging towards the blond haired ninja who was patiently, yet angrily awaiting him.

"CUT IT OUT! THE BOTH OF YOU!" TenTen snapped, getting in between and glaring back and fro at the both of the angered boys. "This is ridiculous. If Sasuke even so much as tries to do anything suspicious, we'll take care of him. I don't think Sasuke's plotting anything, to tell the truth. Neji and I talked to him earlier and he actually _agreed_ to wear a tracking device and an explosive one on top of that." She frowned lightly, huffing in approval as no one argued against her. "Now shut up."

A silence followed, and no one dared to speak for a while, fearing that their choice of words would create another one of those team conflicts, which they really did not need at the moment. But everybody surely had something to say about Sasuke's willingness to join their team. It was suspicious, but it was real, as hard as it was to believe.

"Where is he now?" Someone finally asked.

"Here." A voice bluntly replied, before anyone could speak up.

Kiba sneered at the sight of him, but he stayed quiet nonetheless. Neji looked distant and doubtful, but he only permitted himself to glare at Sasuke. Naruto was the only one who seemed happy that Sasuke had arrived. And the rest of them looked quite surprised, but most of them got over it over the next five seconds.

The rookie nine stared at him suspiciously, as if expecting him to say something, but no one ever dared to speak. It was as if they just knew he was here to say something, and wasn't standing there for nothing.

"I've got a plan." Sasuke announced in his smooth, platonic voice.

Naruto grinned. "We're all ears."

* * *

**Alrighty, done. :)**

**Don't go saying this is short because it aint! It's the original length of a chapter for this story. Hmm and by the way, yeah Sasuke does have a plan but the funny thing is I don't know what it is yet. XD Suggestions are accepted, but its not guaranteed I take them and put them in my story. Maybe I won't even take any if I find a plan on my own.**

**Anyway. Hope you enjoyed ?**


	11. Nightmare

**Man, I really hope it'll be snow day tomorrow. They're announcing snow and ice flocks (or something like that?) and freezing rain until the morning. lol. Anyway, I had this sudden idea for this chapter! I have to thank my reviewers though, you guys have been so patient with me and your ideas have helped a lot! :) I hope I'll get to my idea in this chapter.. or I may lose it :S**

**-Standard disclaimer applied-**

* * *

Her pink tresses are a mess on the pillow, but stood out intensely because her hair was so bright compared to the dark blue hue of the soft cushion. He noticed how exhausted she seemed to be, her eyelids heavily shut and breathing as steady as a deep slumbered pattern could be. Even as she slept so innocently and so restfully, he could catch the little details that revealed how deeply exhausted she was, one of them being how her body shook very lightly every so often.

His dark orbs scrutinized her figure a little while longer, watching her from afar, never daring to step any closer, as if the slightest sound would awaken her. The shadow loomed over his face, almost making his features unreadable and obscure. _Almost_.

His face was so impassive, clearly voided of any emotion, but those murky pools revealed so much more than he would have wanted to. They were evidently hesitant, as if contemplating something and wondering what to do, but also held a certain tinge of something else. Something a little more similar to what Naruto and Sakura used to see. Something Sasuke had thought he'd gotten rid of so long ago. Something he denied he still had.

Attachment. Care. Connection.

A _bond_.

The door clicks open from far over to the right, somewhere where the shadow did not loom, and Sasuke let his eyes drag slowly from the sleeping girl to the newly arrived shinobi. The emotions that once were in his eyes were replaced with nothing more than blankness. Not even a sprinkle of that hesitance, or attachment which once showed in his eyes.

Nothing.

The blonde was looking at the rosette sleeping in the cushiony bed, his ocean blue orbs holding deep care and attachment, and also the strong sparkle of protection he always had for her. He didn't even look at the raven haired boy as he spoke, "We have to leave her here, Sasuke." He says quietly, the blonde's tone a little too harsh for the friendly boy he was. "She's isn't in the state of doing anything." He goes on, blue pools flicking almost coldly to the man, but always landing back on his pink haired team mate.

Sasuke knew Naruto would have wanted a response, but he didn't give any. He stayed quiet, looking so insultingly inexpressive that Naruto couldn't help but to let his lips twitch in a sneer. "How can you act like you don't care? Don't you know how dangerous this is? Don't you know anybody could simply walk in and kill her?! Don't you—"

"I know." Sasuke cut in, his tone flat and superior as he looked at his former team mate, eyes still never holding so much as a flicker of anything. He brushed past his best friend carelessly, not even uttering a single word as Naruto turned and grabbed his arm roughly. "This is _Sakura_, Sasuke. She's your freaking team—"

"Was." The Uchiha interrupts, his flat tone now holding iciness Naruto had witnessed too many times before. "She _was_ my team mate." Sasuke coldly states, tugging his arm roughly from his grip. "Not anymore."

"You fuckin—"

"Nothing is going to happen to her." He gripped the doorknob tightly in his hands, bending the metal lightly. "Don't underestimate me." He harshly bit out before walking quietly out of the room, leaving Naruto utterly dumfounded by his last words. "Don't under—_What_ _the hell_ is he talking about?" Naruto whispered to himself, running a hand through his hair as he sighed desperately.

But as he prepares to walk out, the blonde Hokage-to-be finally sensed something different in the room. A different aura. A dark, but almost soothing chakra. It was obvious this was Sasuke's chakra, and so Naruto knew it wasn't a ninja who'd jumped in. He looked around cautiously for a few minutes, wondering what kind of jutsu Sasuke had put in this room, and where he could've have possibly performed it. But after looking continuously for a few minutes, he gave up._ 'Whatever it is, he seems to be pretty confident of the success of this jutsu.'_

* * *

His red eyes scan the area quickly, looking for any sign of ninja of either side, Konoha Leaf or Sound, or any suspicious movement. He scrutinizes the area very carefully, even in such little time, but after a few seconds, he gives a quick shake of a head, pervading sufficient chakra in his feet to give him a boost as he jumps down to the ground, followed from afar of his team. But he is joined by the blonde for a few seconds, and a feeling of irritation long gone resurfaced, cracking his unfazed mask a little.

"Why did you use the jutsu?" Naruto asks, his voice calm but demanding. "For someone who pretends so much to be so impassive, you sure seem to care a lot." The blonde remarks, finishing the sentence in something like a hiss.

"My jutsu is the technique the most efficient of protecting her." Sasuke says matter-of-factly, never glancing at the suspicious boy.

"So you care."

"I never said that." Sasuke drawls tonelessly.

"You never denied it either." The other countered, grinning lightly.

Sasuke throws him a warning glare. "I didn't do it for her."

"Yeah I know. You did it for _you_. Cause' you _care_ about Sakura-chan."

"The village needs her." Sasuke hisses, looking as though he was very irritated now.

"So you _care_ about the village?"

Sasuke doesn't answer, but he paces faster, muttering a quiet and harsh "Get back, we're almost there."

Naruto grins, falling back into the group of ninja's following from afar, and his grin stretches wider as he reaches his other Konoha team mates. "He never denied anything." Naruto chuckles to nobody in particular, huffing triumphantly to himself, an actions which earned him a lot of weird stares coming from the others.

* * *

_It's dark. Almost pitch black._

_The young medic looks around cautiously around herself, searching for any sign of light or exit. But there's nothing._

_A clicking sound reaches her ears, like metal hitting something hard, soon followed by a light tap, like a foot landing on the ground. She spins around on her heels, eyes widening as she thinks she sees a glimpse of those red eyes she'd seen so many times. She's not sure why, but she is convinced that these eyes do not belong to the man she hoped it would be._

_Another light tap makes a shudder run up her spine, but she stands her ground like the strong and courageous kunoichi she is. She hears him getting closer and she feels the need to run away from this dangerous man whom obviously possessed the sharingan, but for some reason she cannot convince herself to do so. She is strong, she is intelligent, and cunning. She doesn't want to run away anymore. She doesn't want to rely on the protection of others._

_For a moment, she sees the man's dark hair, the same hue of her dearly beloved's hair. She is captivated by the way they hover in the air, and she cannot look away, she tries to tell herself this man could kill her, but she simply can't._

_His head rises, edgy crimson red orbs meeting dazed emerald pools, and for a moment she cannot breathe, because this reminds her too much of the times _his_ sharingan would clash with her green eyes. But as she knows this is another man, the effects are not the same. She doesn't feel light, or fuzzy, or warm._

_She feels cold, endangered and frightened._

_She tries to scream, but she can't breathe and she can't speak. Her voice is taken away. Taken away by the hand gripping her throat painfully. She is scared, and she feels her strength withering. She doesn't want to give up, but it is getting hard to fight back._

_She hardly feels a blade is pierced through her chest, straight in her heart, but she can feel the pain overwhelming her. Her eyelids are closing, but she still refuses to give up. She's still struggling against his grip, against the pain and against the darkness._

_And slowly…_

_Long dark hair becomes shorter and shorter, crimson red become the ones she is sure are _his_, and his clothes change in the attire _he_ now wore. Crimson red fade into a deeper hue, and his hair is still becoming shorter._

_Coal stared in half lidded emerald._

_And she can actually manage to whisper the name of the one she loved, the one who betrayed her and her village and…_

"_Sasuke…kun…"_

…and the one who took her life.

_It's all black now._

* * *

A sharp gasp escaped the pink kunoichi's lips as she jerks awake from her nightmare, her eyes wide and round as saucers and her breathing pattern completely off. She wiped the sweat away from her forehead, shutting her eyes tightly as she tried to regain her breath, and as she moved to sit up again, she winced and fell back on the soft mattress, her hand shooting up to her side. "Da…damnit…" she breathed unstably, wincing again as she tried fuelling chakra in her hand only for something to block intensely.

She took her time to calm her breathing pattern, a long and soft sigh of relief escaping those thin pink lips as the pain died down and as her breath finally returned. She looked around curiously, now aware of her surroundings, and she frowned, not recognizing this room one bit.

'_Where… am I?'_

Being careful not to hurt or force herself too much, she slowly rose in a sitting position, frowning as she took in the sight of the room which seemed much too dark for a normal person. Yet, even being the cheery and colourful girl she is, she really loved how it looked. A room so dark and holding so much mystery… it reminded her of—

Her breath was cut short as she remembered her nightmare, and she then gasped, wondering if her bad dream could have been a vision or simply her wildest fears mixed with her imagination.

Sakura tried to move herself to the edge, but as pain shot through her body again, she knew this would be a very bad idea. From the looks of it, her body was so exhausted that she was physically pained if she tried to move a limb too fast. And from the incident earlier, she could also tell she was completely drained of her chakra.

'_I wonder if anyone is here…?'_ She thought, lying back on the bed and staring vacantly at the black ceiling. _'Even the ceiling is painted? Geez, he sure liked dark. Just like Sas—'_ Her mind froze immediately at the thought of his name, like something just suddenly hit her and brought her back in a reality check. _'Wait a minute… this…'_ Her now sharp emerald orbs shot to her right, flicking around that side of the room quickly, searching for any sign of object that could belong to—

"…Sasuke." She breathed, upon seeing the old, yet so new and neat looking blue yukata with the Uchiha emblem in the back.

She reached out her hand, as if wanting to grab that clothing, but she knew she would never be able to reach it from so far. She frowned, and continued to look around the room, slowly this time, taking in every inch of this shadowy, yet beautiful room. She caught sight of many different things that brought her back old memories, like his old clothes and the picture frame containing the team seven photograph.

She smiled, and looked on the other side of the room, her smile growing soft yet wider as she spotted all of her Christmas presents on his shelf. Along with the ones Kakashi (although he rarely had given any) and Naruto had given him.

'_Never knew he would keep mine… maybe Kakashi's or Naruto's… but mine?'_ Her smile was now gentle. _'…he really did care… did he?'_

* * *

He'd holding the blonde tightly, a kunai pressed at his neck, and he advances slowly towards the other members of the Akatsuki, pressing the kunai harder as Naruto struggled angrily and furiously against his best friend's (could he still call him best friend after he'd betrayed them _again_?!) iron grip. "Here he is. Like you asked me." Sasuke monotonously stated, pushing the blonde in trap of special chakra wires which paralyzed the blonde boy.

Pein and Madara looked unfazed, but Konan seemed a little taken off guard, as all of the other members left of the Akatsuki did.

"YOU TRAITOR! TEME YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US?! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO _ME_!? TO _SAKURA-CHAN_!?" Naruto cried, fat and warm tears forming in his eyes and blurring his vision. "YOU T-TEME…!" Naruto choked through wet tears, biting back a sob as he struggled against the violent paralysation.

Sasuke glanced down to his (supposed) best friend, and rival, but his eyes as so emptied of emotion that it makes Naruto _sick_. The knuckleheaded ninja is still crying, although trying not to, and he seemed to realised how these hard worked years have changed Sasuke so horribly.

This wasn't his best friend.

This wasn't his rival.

This wasn't the boy he grew up with.

This wasn't his team mate.

This wasn't…

"T-Teme…"

…this wasn't the Sasuke Uchiha he once knew.

Pein then seemed to be satisfied, and even relieved. "Job well done, Sasuke." He drawls in his toneless voice, taking a few steps towards the raven haired boy. Sasuke then smirked and raised a hand, flicking his index finger and his middle forward lightly, _thrice_.

Pein froze. Madara froze. Konan froze.

_Akatsuki_ froze.

…And Naruto grinned.

"I didn't know you could act, dobe." Sasuke mutters quietly, smirking lightly as he looks down at the boy and dispelling his paralizing technique.

Wide grin. "Back at you Sasuke."

"NOW LET'S KICK SOME AKATSUKI ASS!"

* * *

**Sorry for the delay! School started again and I swear, I'm practically **_**dying**_**. I'm so emotionally drained and so freaking physically drained and gawd, I'm even BRAIN DRAINED!**

**I hope you enjoyed though. :)**

**What are everybody's opinions about Sakura's dream? Do you think Sasuke is actually going to kill her?**

**Think hard! The answer might not be too easy!**

**REVIEW! :D**


	12. Taking The Hit

**Sorry guys, really, I'm extremely busy lately with school! I'm studying for my exams and it's hectic as heck… No really, I'm supposed to be doing my art exam right now (at least part of it…) but I need to take a little break from this all so far. So, I'm going to start updating this story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**P.s. For you that did not read the manga up until now, you might be a little confused… Pain has five bodies. So if there's five Pain, don't get confused lol. **

* * *

A swift movement caught his red eyes, soon followed by a loud shriek of a blade hitting the floor, but the boy's face didn't even so much as flicker with surprise as he dodged the fast attack, black tomoes spinning rapidly as he formed fast hand seals. He brought his hand to his lips, red and black swirling faster as he performed his almost-too-basic fireball technique.

The long raven haired man he is fighting easily dodges the attacks, growing a little curious and weary because he knew that Sasuke would never use such a useless technique against a powerful enemy like him, except if he was creating a distraction. But Madara couldn't detect any sign of distraction, or trap, which made him grow wearier by the second.

Throwing a punch in the younger Uchiha's way, his eyes widen when he detected Sasuke's slight smirk. His shoe dug in the ground, and the startled angry man gave a quick and powerful push, his eyes widening as the blade came a breath away from cutting his throat.

Sasuke _had_ actually meant to use his fireball technique purposely, and it wasn't even a trap or a distraction! It was just an unexpected technique that left Madara _thinking_ he was doing a distraction, when he really _wasn't_.

But even as Madara jumped back from the dangerous action, it seemed Sasuke didn't have trouble catching up to him, for he was already behind the said man, thrusting his blade towards the man's back. But Sasuke was taken aback as a smirk grazed the older Uchiha's lips, which put him in a state of puzzlement before he was rudely tackled to the ground, the Akatsuki member's blade aiming for his side for a deadly wound. But Sasuke managed to catch the orange haired man's wrist, flinging him away from his body with a harsh movement.

"Keep your opponent on your side, dobe! I'm busy here!" Sasuke irritably spat, his eyes widening as he saw Madara launch towards him. He stepped away quickly, avoiding another attack from the same orange haired man before being violently punched in the back. He grunted silently, a wince making its way to his lips as he stumbled away, running hastily towards the blonde.

Naruto was surprised to see him arrive, but his best friend only grunted in return. "Can't keep them on your side, then we'll fight them all together." The raven haired man muttered under his breath, stretching his neck lightly before grabbing his katana from his back. Naruto laughed at his side, a warmth of long gone friendship resurfacing again as his lifetime rival smirked in return.

Blocking one of the five orange haired Akatsuki members, Naruto grinned, throwing a powerful kick in his opponent's stomach. Seeing one of Pain's bodies launching to attack Sasuke, Naruto growled thickly, tackling the man down to the ground, which earned him a surprised stare from Sasuke. Things were happening so fast Sasuke barely had time to notice the jutsu thrown their way, but at the last possible second, he grabbed his best friend's arm and roughly threw him out of the way, a pained gasp escaping his lips as the jutsu hit him full on. His body was twisted upwards in the air, spinning rapidly before landing carelessly on the broken and rocky ground.

"SASUKE!"

His eyes fluttered open, and he blinked dazedly for a few seconds, groaning as he tasted a metallic substance filling his mouth disgustingly. He spat out the crimson substance, wiping his mouth with his white sleeve, eyes widening in shock as he sensed an opponent ready to strike at him—and fast. He rolled out of the way, taking in hand his katana that had luckily fallen right beside him, and he thrust the blade towards his opponent, which turned out to be Madara.

He tried to stumble back on his feet, but the blast of the jutsu had damaged him to the point he was still quite dazed and half unconscious. He was also aware of the fact that because he was that way, Sasuke wasn't quite as good at blocking punches and kicks, and avoiding deadly attacks.

He knew that if he didn't wake up correctly soon, this could be the death of him.

…and Sakura wouldn't be able to save him this time.

* * *

It took her a while before she was able to stand up correctly again, and it took her even longer before she could walk without a problem. Sakura was really starting to wonder what was going on when she walked over to the window, seeing that the area was completely deserted and still untouched. She knew for a fact that this should have been destroyed already, but there was something off about this all. She frowned in puzzlement, a light sound of surprise escaping her lips as she suddenly became aware of the faint dark chakra in the air. In a movement that would have been considered stupid by anyone, Sakura reached out, stroking the air invisibly, a slight smile appearing as she recognized the chakra.

"Sasuke…" She murmured, glancing around suspiciously for any sign of weird misplacement in the room. "…What have you done to protect this place..?" She whispered, walking over to the door of the bedroom. She smiled a little as she noted that the doorknob was unmovable, almost like it was locked, but more like opening wasn't even an option. She proceeded to walk over to the window again, a bitter laugh escaping her lips as she pressed down at the glass with a chakra concentrated finger. The window was _unbreakable_.

She ran a hand through her silky tresses, sighing irritably as she crossed her hands over her chest. "I'm locked in, there's no doubt about that." She muttered, huffing a lock away from her face. "Smart, Sasuke. I can't freaking get out. Real, freaking smart." the rosette barked impatiently, smacking her forehead in the process.

A sudden realisation came to her.

"Wait…" Emerald widened. "…does that mean he's protecting me?" She breathed, pulling a hand over her mouth in shock.

She couldn't bring herself to believe it.

She wanted to, but she just couldn't.

"But he's… a traitor…"

_'No… it's just the dream getting to you!'_

She shook her head slowly in confusion, her legs buckling under her as she buried her head in her hands, a confused throttle escaping her lips as she breathed his name. She could feel herself growing distant inside—distant from Sasuke. She didn't know what to think of that dream, and she didn't know what she should possibly do.

Something in the back of her mind tingled uncomfortably, bringing to her a feeling of pain and of puzzlement. She could feel her heart start to ache, aching so much that she couldn't bear to breathe after a while. She squeezed her heart, murmuring soft sounds of negation over, and over again because she _knew_ what that feeling was all about. It happened so many times before.

…One of her precious people was in danger.

…on the verge of death…

* * *

His back hit the rock with such intensity that the boulder literally crumbled in pieces from the impact, which made the beat up male stumble backwards on the floor, an almost breathless although bloody gasp going past his lips. His eyes were still swirling red as he looked up at the sickening Uchiha hovering above him, but Sasuke knew he couldn't manage to hold it much longer. The sharingan took too much chakra, and he barely had any left.

"Foolish." Madara muttered under his breath, kicking the side of Sasuke's head lightly, a huff of disapproval going past his lips as he noticed the blood covering his raven hair, slowly dripping on the ground. "You are pathetic, Sasuke."

The man gave a thick growl in reply, kicking Madara's injured leg violently, which made him howl in pain. He stumbled back a bit, a snarl grazing his lips as he charged forward again, sword aimed directly at Sasuke's chest. Sasuke barely managed to blink in return, and he let out a breathy sigh, almost like he knew this could be the end of him. But another member of the rookie nine tackled Madara, and someone else had taken that opportunity to grab Sasuke and pull him up, leading him to a more secure area.

The boy had passed out for a split second, only awakening at the sight of a beat up Kiba, an exhausted Lee, a panting TenTen, an impassive Neji and a worried Ino. He wasn't sure who had saved him, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. He went to sit up, but one of them pushed him back down, which he, once again, didn't know who.

"You'll be safe here. Don't move too much, or you'll lose too much blood!" The blonde hushed a bit harshly, shaking her head as Sasuke sat up anyway. "Is there a medic anywhere close?" Sasuke asked in a raspy tone, spitting out another gush of blood. He wiped his mouth again, closing his eyes as he felt a coughing fit coming up.

"I am, but I can't heal you." Sasuke heard a female say, her voice a little sad. "I'm almost out of chakra, and I need it to protect myself."

But Sasuke only sprang up, pushing everyone out of the way, making the others call out in anger and confusion, only for them to flinch in utter shock as they took in the shocking scene.

Sasuke was holding Madara's fist tightly, his other hand gripping the sadistic Uchiha's free wrist, and he was sneering so intensely that they couldn't help but to gasp. Neji joined in immediately, being the quickest one to think, and he ran in, fist thrust forward, a smirk twisting on his face as Madara tried to move away, only to be surprised as wires suddenly trapped him, along with Sasuke's grip tightening, making him unable to move.

Neji's fist hit Madara's chest full on, the first deadly blow being delivered to the supposed leader of the Akatsuki, whom stumbled backwards, coughing up blood at a large amount. Even the rookie nine though it would be their last blow, but when they saw the man being roughly punched in the neck and violently kicked to the legs, their eyes widen in shock. One of the attacker's punches was blocked, and he was thrown towards them, landing on the floor a few feet away from Sasuke.

"Teme's okay!" Naruto laughed, coughing lightly, a crooked grin making its way to his lips as Sasuke shook his head at the boy's attitude, an action everybody else did as well.

But everyone's amused smile disappeared when Madara stood up again, charging unbelievably fast, with his sword aimed at either one of them who would act first. Sasuke, being the one to notice first, had already charged forward, wanting to try to stop the blow even though he knew the only way was…

…taking the blow itself.

Chirps of a thousand angry birds echoed in the quiet battleground, and whips of lightening emitted from the raven haired boy who looked unbelievably determined to stop the other red eyed man.

It seemed he could see his life flash before his eyes, memories of the past passing like an old broken movie, the smiles and the laughter of his friends invading his mind, the tears and the betrayals…

He could see it all pass before his eyes.

…and he could see his death coming.

But just as he was about to pace faster, a hollow and thick growl escaping his lips, his breath caught in his throat when he saw a flash of pink and when he heard the sound of blade making contact with flesh.

Blood splattered on his cheeks and shirt. A blood that wasn't his. Or Madara's.

…it was _hers_.

* * *

Maybe it was the fact she had managed to get out of his jutsu.

Maybe it was the fact she'd interfered so fast, when she had no chakra left.

Maybe it was the fact she took the hit for him.

Maybe it was the fact _her_ blood had splattered all over him.

He didn't know.

…but he was utterly shocked out of his mind.

_Sakura_ was the one to stop Madara's deadly attack. _She_ was the one who took the hit.

"…Sa…Sakura…" Sasuke whispered, his voice so breathy and shocked that no one else heard, except her.

She flashed him a smile, full of _blood_ and sickening _softness_ that he couldn't help but to grow angry. Sakura laughed bloodily, moving her hand lightly on the handle of her weapon which was…

…plunged in Madara's chest?

Catching sight of Madara's movement of launching her away, Sasuke grabbed her as quickly as possible, jerkily jumping away and stumbling on the ground, catching sound of her bloody scream of pain when Madara kept a hand firm on the handle of the blade. In other words, the blade had been taken out quite harshly out of her.

"S…SA…SAKURA-CHAN!"

Sasuke didn't even pay attention to his best friend's desperate cries, because he was too busy panicking inside, trying to figure out how this could all happen to him. He put the girl down as gently as possible, the feeling of gagging almost overwhelming him before he forced himself to focus on how to save her.

She was in a deadly situation, and he knew she was going to freaking die if he didn't help her.

Slipping off his bloody shirt (plastered with _her_ freaking blood) hastily, he pressed it down to wound to stop the bleeding, a slight feeling of guilt washing over him as she howled in pain.

He was _not_ going to lose another person precious to him.

_Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her._

**Not. Her.**

**-**

Not his Sakura.

* * *

**Awe. :(**

**That's sad.**

**Yeah well.. I have to go! Study! –sigh-**

**REVIEW!**


	13. Shocking Move

**Hey!**

**I've been thinking about this story and I think I've pretty much figured out all of it so far. A little blank here and there, but it's not so bad. lol!**

**Alright, well let's get started!**

**-Standard disclaimer applied-**

* * *

The world was a total blotch to her.

She could hardly define the outline of the people surrounding her, and their cries of worry sounded so distant—like they were far, far away from her. She wasn't even all that aware of what was happening to her body, but she sure could perfectly feel the pain jolting through her every nerve.

She was overwhelmed with pain.

Another howl of pain left her lips as she faintly felt another press at her stomach, and in reflex she tried to move and curl, only for a hand to sharply stop her movement as it pressed itself on her shoulder.

"_Stay down."_

The words whispered repeatedly through her mind, making the medic groan lightly in irritation. She tried to rise again, but the movement was repeated, followed by a low hiss that she had no difficulty hearing. "Stay. _down_." She heard the same voice growl, his voice a little more on the edge then before.

She fluttered her eyes open slowly, her eyes moving sluggishly to the people surrounding her, stopping on the sight of the raven haired man who had locked her in his mansion earlier. She opened her mouth to speak, but howled in pain again as he pressed a little more firmly on the wound.

She then realised something.

'…_Why is Sasuke shirtless?'_

She didn't really have to wonder anymore as she suddenly became aware of the silky texture of a garment pressed on her wound—no doubt to stop the bleeding, or slow it down a bit.

Sasuke was… trying to save her life?

* * *

"Somebody get a fucking medic!" Sasuke finally snarled after noticing how the pink haired kunoichi struggled to keep her eyes open, and how her movements and her breathing pattern were both too sickeningly lethargic for someone who was still conscious.

"There's no time! It will take too long to find someone and to come back here! She won't make it for that long, Sasuke!" Ino replied brashly from behind the group, hurriedly stumbling beside the injured girl as she made her way through the small circle of the rookie nine. "Look, Sasuke, listen to me alright? There's still a way to save her." Her eyes widen in shock as crimson red clashed with her own, a sneer of impatience grazing the man's lips as he stared dangerously at her. "What are you waiting for?!" He bristled angrily.

Ino shot him a deadly glared before shoving a hand in her weapon pouch, retrieving a small blue sack, her eyebrows creasing as she frowned and put the pouch down on the floor, her small hand plunging in to retrieve a handful of baby blue globes. She took two of them and plopped them in her mouth, catching sight of Sasuke glaring deathly at her. "Tsunade-sama gave them to Sakura and I a while ago. She should have some somewhere, alright? Check her." She ordered, handing the bag out to her pineapple haired team mate.

"These will help you get your chakra back. Each of you should take two." She clearly announced, nodding at Shikamaru as he took two and passed it to the ninja next to him. "We'll need all we can have to beat them." She finally whispered, looking back to Sasuke whom was holding a red pouch in his hand, while the other still hand his shirt against her wound.

"Sit her up slowly, she needs them." She said, gesturing him to do so, making a few hand seals for the healing technique she would need to use on Sakura. She let him sit her up slowly before she pressed her green glowing hands on Sakura's wound, cringing slightly as the pinkette let out a sharp and pained breath. Ino proceeded to heal a bit of her wound, wanting to heal enough so her life could be saved for the moment.

She watched as the blood stopped oozing out, and as the skin began to repair itself under her fingers, a feeling of relief washing over her both because Sakura would be okay, and because she could feel the globe's effect starting. The blonde could feel her chakra restoring slowly, but surely, and she smiled, removing her hands as she finished healing her wound.

It was but a thin line now, and it was all Ino could permit herself to do.

"Sasuke, she needs to take those alright? Her life is saved for the moment," she almost wanted to smile as she saw his stiff limbs relax, "but her wounds can easily reopen. If she takes those, she'll be able to get her chakra back and heal herself." She frowned although, which made Sasuke stiffen again.

"But there's a problem, isn't there?" Sasuke asked, his voice cold and brash. The blonde nodded dimly in return, a frustrated sigh leaving her lips. "They're hard like rock. Sakura can't bite on them, she doesn't have enough strength. If we crash them, it won't work because the 'effects' will already be released in thin air." A low growl escaped the lips of the kunoichi, and she turned to the pineapple haired male beside herself. "Any ideas, Shikamaru?" She asked, her voice soft and almost pleading.

The male's dark chocolate orbs darkened lightly, and he pondered quietly, looking at the pink haired woman and the Uchiha back and forth. He had an idea in mind, but he would need to inspect one of these globes before being completely sure of himself. "Pass me one of those." He called to Sasuke, thinking that if he was right, then it could all work out but there was another problem.

…Would _he_ actually do it?

Catching the pouch, Shikamaru grabbed one of the baby blue globes and scanned it carefully, trying hard to sense what kind of chakra or whatever else was coming from this globe. He glanced at Neji, nodding lightly at him as Neji frowned in understanding. "There's a complicated chakra in there. Modified, no doubt. But it can still be transferred in one way." The Hyuuga spoke, his voice switching in a cold tone. "You're not seriously thinking what I'm thinking, are you Nara?" The long brown haired man nearly hissed.

Shikamaru smirked. "It's the only way." He confirmed.

Ino looked utterly puzzled. "What's going on?" She asked in a perplexed tone, not liking the way Shikamaru was staring amusedly at Sasuke with a conceited smirk on his face. "Shikamaru, why are you guys so smug all of a sudden?" She asked, her voice a little harsher, like she was demanding for answers. The said man turned, and he let out an amused scoff. "Well you see, the only way to save Sakura…"

* * *

"Anything?" He asked the pearl eyed girl, his features forming some kind of relieved expression as she shook her head slowly. "Nothing so far, Naruto-kun." She replied, her voice soft and a little shaky. She looked at the male and smiled lightly, a blush creeping on her neck as his eyes glimmered with pure relief and happiness. "Really?! That's great news, Hinata-chan!" He shouted eagerly, engulfing the girl in a large bear hug. She squealed lightly in surprise, the blush turning several shades deeper when he laughed warmly, tightening his embrace. "I'm so glad."

She wanted to smile, she really did, but her Byakugan orbs caught a movement. Her eyes widen, and as soon as Naruto pulled back from his warm hug, she snapped her head in the direction of the movement she had caught, eyes widening in horror as she recognized who the people were. "O-Oh… oh Kami…" The girl stammered softly, her hand shooting up to her mouth.

"…Hinata-chan?"

The tears wanted to spill from her orbs, but she refused to let them fall at a time like this. "They're coming." She finally breathed, exhaling shakily as she glanced at the blonde boy in fear. She wanted to see his face so strong and unbreakable, because she knew if she did, she'd be able to stand strong like him. She'd be able to hold back her hopeless tears.

But the look on Naruto's face was the trigger to the fall of her tears.

He looked so devastated and almost hopeless.

* * *

"SAY WHAT?!" Yamanaka Ino shrieked in horror, jerkily glancing at the shock stricken raven haired man who undoubtedly was the one the most taken aback out of everyone. "W-Wh... What the hell!? That can't be it!" She sputtered out, grabbing the shoulders of the lazy shinobi who shook his head exasperatedly in return. "It's the only way."

Sasuke was unbearably quiet, the same shocked look on his face as he stared ahead to nothing. He was simply stunned by the idea, some part of him not quite understanding how it was supposed to save her life while another part of him knew it made perfect sense. But…was it actually the only way to save Sakura?

"Are you insane?!" Ino screeched, shaking her team mate wildly, her eyes not quite deadly but more flabbergasted then anything else. "Do you actually expect him to—"

But the slight crack of a globe being bitten is what had caught everybody's attention. The blonde snapped her neck around, eyes widening as she saw him grip her hair gently with his right hand, while his left hand rested on her waist delicately. Everyone was just as shocked as Ino was as they saw him break the globe in his mouth before he dipped down and melded his mouth to hers.

Their eyes practically jumped out of their sockets.

The first one to recover from the shock was Shikamaru. "Well what do you know, he's actually doing it." The lazy shinobi drawled, smirking lightly as he notice the way Sasuke's grip on her waist tightened slightly.

Everyone felt kind of uncomfortable as he broke the 'kiss', his onyx orbs meeting the eyes of the others, his orbs sharp and commanding as he crunched down on another globe and repeated his last move from before.

They all knew Sasuke had been telling them to get lost—at least for the moment.

After all, he probably wasn't very comfortable having them watch him 'kiss' her to save her freaking life. He had to break the globe completely and then 'give' it to her so she could have an easier time to bite on it and eat the damn thing. But what was worse though, was that she was freaking _intoxicating_.

He couldn't figure out why every time their lips met, he seemed to grow more attached to them. He wanted to let his own lips linger longer on her own, but he didn't dwell on the thought because he knew saving her life for good was what was most important at the moment.

He knew the others had left, which had made this all the more easier to get it done, since he didn't have to bother with the feeling of being intently watched. It had made him feel so uncomfortable and tetchy to feel eyes at the back of his head.

Sasuke couldn't figure out why after the fifth globe, when she had opened her eyes and when their gazes had locked, it took him _everything_ not to meld his lips to hers again.

* * *

"They're coming." He heard the blonde mutter in a croaky voice, like he was trying to hold back something. "Damnit, they're _coming_. We can't win." He throatily whispered, smashing his fist against the already broken ground. But when he received no answer, he raised his head to look at his quiet friend, a sneer forming on his lips as he seemed to ignore him. The man looked like he was so deep in thoughts that it irritated Naruto.

"Teme, did you hear—" Naruto began in a snarl, eyes widening as Sasuke suddenly stood up, walking past the male like he was invisible. He wanted to go over and scream to him, but when he saw where the male was going, he shut back his mouth, his curiosity now utterly piqued as he saw him kneel down before Sakura, who had been resting against a wall.

He could see lips moving. First Sasuke, who undoubtedly asked her something short and blunt, but then it was Sakura. She was speaking for a long time, her tone probably low and soft, from the looks of it.

It made Naruto wonder what he'd missed out on when he and Hinata went to check up on their surroundings to see if there was any sign of threat from the enemy.

It seemed like so much had happened in the few minutes he was gone.

But he was snapped out of his thoughts when he became aware of the person standing in front of him, without doubt looking down at him. His head jerked up, and he almost wanted to grin as he saw Sasuke roll his eyes at him. "Tell the others we have to pack up. We need to go somewhere else." Sasuke muttered quietly, grabbing his katana from the ground before strapping it to himself, glancing as the boy didn't move. "Get going, we don't have time." He snapped shrilly, throwing the boy a hard glare when he scoffed in return.

"Teme, no offense but they'll find us anywhere here. There's no point in running away." Naruto muttered, picking himself up to stand in front of his best friend rebelliously. Sasuke smirked lightly, an action that took Naruto off guard, since he didn't find anything worth smirking about. "Trust me, they won't search for us."

Naruto only threw him a puzzled look before he shrugged and proceeded to tell everybody to pack up.

"I'm seriously wondering why they wouldn't go looking for us but hey, you know they better then we do so I guess I'll just have to trust you on that."

A bit taken aback by the fact he hadn't sensed the person, he turned and threw the person a slightly surprised glanced. He posture relaxed as he saw the pink haired girl leaning against the wall to support herself, her limbs a bit shaky but nothing to worry about.

She smiled at him lightly as he was automatically at her side, eyes sharp and forming a glare. "You shouldn't be standing by yourself, Sakura." Sasuke bristled, throwing her arm around his shoulder before he gripped her by the waist and helped her walk towards the others who had just finished packing up their stuff.

Ino noticed the pair, and she smiled, running over to them. "Thanks for helping her, Sasuke. I can take care of her now, since you—" But Sasuke's grunt cut her off. "I don't mind helping her." Sasuke muttered, pretending he didn't notice the look of surprise thrown at his way by both Ino and Sakura.

"Come on. The sooner we get there, the better." The Uchiha mumbled brusquely, nodding lightly at the group staring at them before he started walking with Sakura again, his grip around her waist a little tighter then before.

"…Sasuke-kun?" He heard the pink haired blossom query softly. He didn't even offer a reply, but Sakura took it as a sign of urging her to go on. "Thank you for saving my life." She murmured gently, beaming him a soft smile.

He didn't reply, but the look he'd given her was more then satisfying.

His coal orbs were so soft—it just took her breath away.

…and she was sure Sasuke hadn't even realised his eyes has softened that much.

* * *

**Eh…**

**lol. I think Sasuke was OOC here. At the end, I mean. Oh well, it came out alright at least.**

**REVIEWWWW!**


	14. Still Exhausted

**As all of you will probably notice, I've disabled anonymous reviews. It pisses me off to receive flames and not being able to reply to them because they are anonymous. Those flamers really have no guts, do they?**

**Anyway. I have lots of time this weekend to update. It doesn't mean I will though because I'm still going through a really hard time. :S**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

_It was unnerving to see him staring at her this way, his dark orbs suspicious and a little curious. She could see the way he tried to hide his emotions, but could never quite succeed in doing so because something prickled his mind too much and it was impossible for him not to let it show._

_Her emerald orbs flickered to the angrily babbling boy beside him, her eyebrows rising lightly as he snarled something to Sasuke whom didn't even blink in reply. She heard Naruto call out his rival's name several times as the said man stood up, his eyes a bit darker then before. His aloofness was clearly pissing off Naruto but Sasuke obviously didn't care._

_She swallowed hard as she watched him walk over to her, looking away quickly as she almost got lost in those smouldering pools of his. She didn't want to look back up, knowing fully she'd see him towering over her, looking down at her coldly, probably. Fiddling with the material of her bloody shirt, she breathed in quietly, her breath hitching as she heard him crouch down at her level. _

_As she looked up a bit, she realised he was actually kneeling on the floor, and not crouching like she had thought. "How did you get out?" She heard him bluntly ask in a low, direct tone. She looked up, a little shocked to the fact he'd been so bothered in the past half an hour because he was wondering how she'd gotten out of his jutsu. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw that his eyes weren't cold like they should be, but were actually quite darkly concerned, although demanding._

_Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but shut it back when she pondered about where to start. She saw his eyes sharpening, but she didn't pay much attention to it because she had been searching for the right words. "Your jutsu had a weak spot." She started, her voice low and calm. "I didn't think there would be, but there was." She paused lightly, frowning as she struggled to remember exactly what had happened. "I'm standing near the window, and then when I walk over to the middle of the room, there's a strange feeling of coldness running through me." Sakura frowned again, missing the way Sasuke's eyes darkened at the last bit. "It's kind of weird, one second I could feel the chakra you used for your jutsu, and the next it was gone. I walked over to the window again, thinking I was free and that it had been dispelled somehow, but then it was back."_

_She heard him mutter a curse, and she almost wanted to smile because she knew he had caught on. "You had a faint, weak spot. A spot where the jutsu had been applied but not entirely." She sighed, tucking a lock of pink hair behind her ear. "The only issue was trying to find exactly where it was. Wasn't really that hard but… I was really rushed at the time." The pink haired girl finished quietly._

"…_Why?"_

_She jumped a little in surprise, shocked to realise he'd actually asked why she had been in such a rush. A thought crossed her mind, and she smile. _'The Sasuke from my younger years seemed to grow back.'_ Her smile vanished although, as she opened her mouth to reply to his question. "I… kind of have this feeling tingling when someone that I care about very much is in danger…" she murmured quietly, narrowing her eyes to the ground to fiddle with a small patch of grass that had grown from the crack between the wall and the cemented floor._

_There was a slight tense silence that followed, a silence she didn't like because it seemed to grow too uncomfortable after a while. "Don't ever do that again." She heard him mutter, a shuffling sound following his words as he stood up on his feet and started walking back to a mumbling blond._

_It took a while before his words finally sank in her mind, and the reality hit her like a ton of bricks. Her eyes widen, and she blabbered a surprised sound, her heart now hammering hard in her chest cavity._

…_Had Sasuke just told her not to ever take a hit for him again..?_

* * *

Haruno Sakura smiled lightly at the memory, her eyes softening as she, once again, let the warmth of his touch heat up her insides, a light shudder running up her spine as she felt her stomach explode with a thousand butterflies again. She felt his grip tightening, no doubt thinking something was wrong after he felt her shudder. She glanced at him, almost wanting to laugh as she saw what she had expected to see.

Of course Sasuke would still look as emotionless as ever. Of course even his eyes would never reflect even the tiniest sprinkle of emotions. Of course.

And like he sensed her staring, he turned his gaze to hers, his gaze flat, and he grunted lightly, like he was asking why she was staring at him. She smiled in return, about to return her gaze in front of herself before something caught her eye. She stopped abruptly and would have probably stumbled to the ground if his grip hadn't been so tight and alerted. He threw her an almost angry stare before flinching completely as she reached and tapped the area below his temple lightly.

"Sasuke-kun, why do you…" She brushed the small object almost hidden by his mane and attached somehow to somewhere between his temple and above his ear. "…have a tracking device?" She finally finished, throwing him a questioning stare. It took a while before he went and brought her hand down, turning lightly before he lifted a few of his locks out of the way, revealing it was not a simple tracking device but an explosive one as well. She gasped, but he shrugged half-heartedly in return. "Seems like it was the only way to gain the trust of the others." He mumbled flatly, sighing as she brought her hand up to brush the device again.

"The others? You mean us?" She questioned back softly, squinting her eyes to try to figure out how the device was attached to his skin. She grimaced lightly as she thought maybe it had little metallic claws—or something of the sort—and dug into his skin to hang on. She desperately tried to convince herself she was wrong.

"The others." She heard him finally repeat, pulling her hand away from his face. He looked at her with his smouldering coal eyes, digging to the very depth of her soul, "You already trust me." He said quietly, looking away from her as she blushed. "Always did." He added just as quietly as before.

Sakura wasn't able to hold back even a bit of the blush engulfing her face, and she was glad that he didn't turn his head to look at her again, although she knew he was probably well aware of the fact she was blushing. She smiled lightly after a while, his last quiet words echoing in her mind endlessly, but her smile completely vanished as she remembered her nightmare.

Did she… actually trust Sasuke?

He saved her life. He turned on their side. He was helping her at the moment. He was helping them all win this fight. He didn't look like he would turn their back on them, although it was kind of hard to tell since he still kept his completely quiet and harsh attitude.

She winced lightly as her side started weaving off painful waves, and she tried stabling herself only to trip, a loud yelp going past her lips as she prepared for the impact. But faster than she could understand, the raven haired man who kept her heart had caught her, one of his arms wound around her waist protectively while he had his other hand on her waist, gripping tightly. She could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck, every exhale blowing softly on her pink locks. His broad and muscled shoulders were also pressed against her own, keeping her up against him and giving her a full sight of his bare back (he was still shirtless.)

She could see his katana on his back so clearly, and her stomach lurched at the sight of it. Sakura couldn't figure out why something in the back of her mind tingled, as if on alert for his next move. She felt him tense against her and she squeezed her eyes shut because for some reason, she knew he had figure out that she wasn't sure if she could trust him yet.

He pulled her up to her feet, looking strangely grim and ticked off, but he surprised her again as he put her arm around his shoulder again and wrapped his arm around her waist to help her, still.

She thought that if he knew she didn't know if she could trust him, he'd hand her over to Ino or something.

She didn't really think he would keep on helping her.

* * *

"Neji?"

He took a moment to watch the pair before he broke his stare and turned to the brunette beside him. "Hn?" The Hyuuga grunted quietly, giving his team mate a questioning stare as she stared worriedly at him. "Are you alright? You seem kind of alerted lately." She said, hesitating before she put a hand on his shoulder as a sign of comfort.

Neji made no effort to push her away as he spoke again. "There's something off about the Uchiha. He's been angry for a while and I cannot find anything that could have possible made him this way." He explained bluntly, eyes hardening as Sakura swayed lightly on her feet.

TenTen gave him a weird look. "Hasn't Sasuke always been angry?" She questioned, snorting softly as he shot her a sour stare. She grinned lightly when he scoffed and turned to look at the couple again, his eyes sharpening as he took in the details of extreme fatigue from Sakura.

"Sakura's exhausted." He stated to no one in particular. He turned to his team mate again. "I'll be back." He muttered, nodding at her before gently shrugging off her hand and standing up, walking towards the Uchiha and Haruno.

* * *

"Sasuke…" Sakura breathed, blinking several times to try and see clearer, only for it to be an utter failure. The raven haired man turned to look at her, his eyebrows crunching down as he took in her half conscious state. He stopped walking along with her, his grip tightening slightly as the girl swayed on her feet slightly.

"Uchiha." He heard somebody call icily. Turning his head sharply to look at the intruder, all the while settling with a nice and firm grip on the pink haired girl's waist, he glared icily as his orbs landed on Neji. "What?" He snapped, glaring coldly at the man.

Neji returned the icy glare. "It would be best to take a break. Haruno has been showing signs of exhaustion. A rest would be appreciated, I'm sure." He frigidly replied, his voice oddly calm. Sasuke glared at the man, huffing lightly. "We can keep going." He spat back. "She is not feeling well." Neji persisted, growling lightly in warning. Sasuke smirked slightly. "We're not stopping." He replied coolly, scoffing as the Hyuuga boy tensed in anger. "Sakura can't keep going like this, she will—"

"I'll carry her." Sasuke interrupted in a low mumble, his head jerking in the kunoichi's direction as her entire weight leaned on him. He frowned, wondering if Sakura had already passed out or if she had simply leaned on him after hearing his words. He tugged the girl's head away gently to look at her, a quiet sigh escaping his lips as he confirmed that she had indeed passed out. "Looks like Haruno has a perfect timing." Neji smugly pointed out, huffing an amused breath.

Sasuke didn't pay much attention to him because he was too busy trying to carefully pick her up without waking her, an action that was proved to be rather difficult since the slightest movement made her stir a bit. But after a while, he managed to have her bridal style in his arms, her head lolling in the crook of his neck, one of his hands under her knees while the other was protectively wrapped around her middle section.

"Whoa! Teme what's wrong with Sakura?!?" A familiar loud male voice shouted, the voice sounding closer as the blonde boy ran over to them. He looked frantic while looked down at the girl laying limply in his arms, but Sasuke's calm look had relaxed him a bit. "She's exhausted." He stated. Naruto looked up to the male, frowning lightly. "I think it might be best if you just went to that place straight away. Tell us the directions and we'll be there later. We're still exposed to danger right now."

"Hn." Sasuke nodded in return, turning to Neji to give him the directions before he nodded curtly to everyone else, tightening his grip on Sakura, carefully adjusted Sakura in his arms so he could perform hand seals, and then he was gone with a teleportation jutsu.

The nauseous feeling of teleportation overwhelmed him for a moment, but Sasuke didn't mind because he'd felt it so many times before. He looked around with his bored coal eyes before walking over to a seemingly more comfortable place, putting Sakura down on a thick patch of grass.

He took a moment to take in little details of how tired she still was, and he wondered a little about how it was possible she was still so tired even as he…

...gave her those globes.

Cursing lightly under his breath for staring at her, he turned without a word, grunting quietly before he walked over to a place a little further away from Sakura and sat down. He forced himself not to look at her small form for a while, not wanting to catch himself staring at her like earlier.

Why was it that every time he looked at her, he found himself craving for a taste of those soft lips again?

* * *

**Not much action, sorry, but that was more to explain a few things. Like how she escaped and all… the action will start soon though. Probably not in the next chapter, although, because they are resting for like a day or two. Gaining chakra back and stuff.**

**Anyway. I'm off to do something else before I update another of my story. :)**

**REVIEW!**


	15. Getting Closer

**Heyy my peoples! XD 4 day weekend! WOOT! I'm so happy yet I really shouldn't be. Well, maybe a bit. :P For one, I fell sick just yesterday. It's so annoying. For two, my computer crashed and I lost like everything (but my dad is working on getting those things back…) and for three, my family is being a hella annoying. Although I should be happy because it's the weekend! AND I got to give my crush a ride back home. In my car that he really likes. I was like, on cloud number nine. :)**

**Anyway. UPDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

* * *

He reached to touch the liquid, his long and calloused fingers curling lightly as his flesh made contact with the cool water of the lake, a light exhale passing his lips at the chilling feeling of the wet substance. He took a moment before cupping the water, leaning his face closer to the lake before he carefully brought his hands to his face, his eyes closing as the water ran smoothly along his hot skin. He sighed, repeated the movement a few times, and then rubbed the back of his neck with a cold and wet hand, his eyes narrowing in thoughts.

After a while, he slowly looked up and in the direction of the sleeping kunoichi, staring for a few seconds before he looked down again, still slightly rubbing his neck. He shut his eyes for a moment, pondering silently, still wondering as to why she was still exhausted when she barely did anything. A slight moan snapped him out of his thoughts and he instantly opened his eyes, his head jerking in the direction of Sakura again. He frowned a little at her shivering form, his eyes narrowing as he thought he saw a sign of green light flickering.

Wiping his hands on his newly washed and almost dried shirt, he frowned, putting the cloth down as he stood up and walked towards her, his eyes narrowing in a firm glare when his thoughts had been confirmed. "You shouldn't do that." He bluntly stated, watching as the girl flinched at the sound of his voice. "Do what?" She replied quietly, shuddering more in fright than in loss of energy or chakra.

"Heal yourself when you're just getting your chakra back." He replied, his voice quiet although almost icy. A low scoff was his immediate reply and he glared without hesitation, watching as she slowly rolled on her other side to look at him. "I was checking how far I could go. Jeez, I just woke up and you're already bitching at me." She muttered under her breath, cringing lightly when her hand shot up to her wound.

It was then that Sasuke realised she was bleeding.

"You're bleeding." He stated, his sharp eyes turning into a shade of concern. The kunoichi looked up to him, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah well it's nothing too bad." She replied quietly, wincing lightly when she tried to perform her healing jutsu again, only for a hand to grip hers. "I told you not to do that." He replied sharply, his grip around her wrist tightening slightly.

Sakura glared back at him, huffing indignantly. "Whatever." She muttered, snatching her wrist away from his grip before forming her seals once again, not noticing he was looking at her hands with crimson red orbs. He caught her wrist again before she could try to heal herself again, and she frowned, her eyes widening in surprise when he released her wrist and quickly performed the same seals she had just performed, a slight frown grazing his features when his hand started to glow a faint blue color.

She could not seem to understand that fact he was going to heal her. Actually, she understood it but she just couldn't _believe_ it.

Without giving her a chance to complain, he gripped both wrists with one hand, twisting them behind her back hard enough so she couldn't move but gently enough so it did not hurt. Her breath hitched upon realising his movement had brought them so much closer, their faces a little less than a foot away. But Sasuke seemed unfazed, his gaze set on the bleeding area, his blue glowing hand brushing away the clothing that hid her wound before he let his fingers hover above her broken skin.

Sakura could feel her heart hammering wildly in her chest, her face feeling strangely hot, something inside her simply itching to lean in and close the gap placed between his lips and her own. Her eyes widen from the thought, her face growing even hotter, her heart hammering harder as she kept on staring at his beautiful face that seemed weirdly closer than it had been earlier. She leaned in a little closer, surprised he hadn't even noticed her movement, and then blinked dazedly, as if caught up in some sort of trance.

It wasn't until Sasuke felt hot breath on his face that he suddenly realised how close they were. His hand froze completely, coal orbs widening for a split moment before he started looking up ever so slowly, his breath catching in his throat as his dark eyes met her soft viridian ones. His grip on her hands loosened inconsiderably, so much that he hadn't even realised he had soon released his grip on her. Without really knowing what she was doing, she brought her hands to his chest, her slightly cold palms pressed against his warm and bare skin.

It wasn't like him to be so out of control. It wasn't like him to even be unaware of what he was doing. It wasn't like Sasuke to actually consider this situation. To actually consider giving in. To actually consider kissing her.

Upon realising his actions, Sasuke staggered back a bit, releasing Sakura immediately as he stood up and walked over to the lake again, his eyes darkening as he heard her gasp in surprise, a slight sound of bafflement following closely. He stood, unmoving, his coal eyes directed upwards at the sky, watching the twinkling stars with a slight frown. After a while, he sat back down, never glancing back to the girl not far away behind him, his eyes shut as he pondered again.

It seemed he pondered a lot lately.

"Sasuke...?"

He didn't answer.

"...Sasuke-kun?"

Breathing out quietly, he glanced over his shoulder, his eyes sharp and demanding. "What?" He replied in the usual blank tone he had always used in the past few years. Her eyes narrowed lightly in disappointment, sad he was still using that tone voided of any emotion, but she didn't say anything about it. "...Where are we?" She questioned softly, her eyes flashing with pure confusion as she looked about herself cautiously.

He didn't even answer, making her wonder why he was so quiet all of a sudden. Of course, Sasuke had always been a quiet person and she didn't doubt it worsened in these past few years, but she thought she had seen him change a bit. She also thought he probably enjoyed their company, since he had been ridden of anyone to talk to in Sound.

Being able to talk to someone without them running away from him, or stammer in fear, or squeal over him, had probably relieved him at some point.

But when the pink haired kunoichi opened her mouth to speak again, faint voices caught her attention and cut her off. She threw her head in the direction of the sounds, a huge smile grazing her lips when she saw their comrades arriving, waving in the air while grinning like fools. Making a move to stand up, she suddenly yelped when something soft was thrown at her face, and her head whipped down to the object, realising, to her surprise, that it was Sasuke's shirt that seemed completely washed of her blood and looked as good as it could be for something quickly washed.

She looked up, her eyes narrowing in a glare when she saw that Sasuke was not even looking at her but was rather looking somewhere else, his eyes bored and blank. "What the hell is this for?" She almost spat, her glare becoming more dangerous. "To clean up the blood." He replied after a few seconds, rolling his eyes without her noticing.

She looked down, finally remembering the wound he had healed earlier. She blushed a bit at the memory, but mumbled a quiet 'thank you' before gently brushing off the blood on her skin, a soft smile grazing her lips when she brushed the area where the wound had previously been.

For someone who had never studied how to handle medical jutsu and who has simply copied the technique, she had to admit Sasuke had done a really good job at healing her. The wound was gone, something she definitely didn't expect. She expected a scar, at least.

"Sakura-chan!" Her blond haired best friend shouted, laughing lightly when he stopped in front of her, grinning happily. "It took us ages to get here! I'm so glad to see you're okay! I was so worried about you! You just collapsed out of exhaustion out of nowhere!" He exclaimed, his grin growing as Sakura giggled lightly. "It's nothing, Naruto. The pills just took long to take effect, that's all. I'm recovering rather well now." She replied, smiling gently to the boy.

Upon noticing the clothing she was holding, he threw her a perplexed look, pointing to his rival's slightly bloodied shirt. "Why are you holding his shirt?" He questioned, his eyes shooting to the raven haired male who still seemed as unfazed as ever. He glared lightly at the man, huffing lightly when Sasuke didn't even budge a muscle to look at them all. "And why is he looking so gloomy and isolated?" He added, crooking a confused eyebrow at her.

She shrugged. "He gave me his shirt to wash the blood away. As for the second question, I have no clue. I'm just as confused as you are. I mean, one minute he was healing me and then─" Naruto's loud cry of surprise is what had rudely interrupted her, and she staggered back a bit in shock, throwing him a highly baffled look and earning a slight glance from the raven haired boy. "TEME _HEALED_ YOU?!" He yelled, clearly not able to get over the shock. Sakura cringed, shaking her head at his childishness. "Um, yeah. He copied my technique."

"It was a rather intelligent idea to bring us to one of the Uchiha's unknown hidden places, Sasuke." A voice called, the tone flat like one the Uchiha's tone was. Everybody, including Sasuke, turned to look at Neji, most of the people looking approving whereas Sakura looked stunned and Sasuke was glaring.

"They are the only places that can keep us safe, for the moment. But there is no doubt Madara will find them out with time." He answered in the same flat tone, his eyes narrowing in an even deadlier glare when Neji huffed in approval, smirking lightly.

"Uchiha unknown hidden place...?" Sakura whispered, staring at nothing in particular, but more under shock than anything else.

She missed the way Sasuke glanced at her, his eyes softer but still harsh, a look everybody else had caught.

It showed Sasuke had a soft spot for her.

* * *

"Oi, teme? What exactly happened between you and Sakura?"

Silence.

"Look, I'm just stating the obvious here. There's a weird tension between you two."

"Since when do you even see the obvious, dope?"

"HEY I RESENT THAT!"

"Hn."

An exasperated sigh.

"What is it with you two, honestly? You're so freaking weird with each other."

Silence.

"Oi, teme?"

Silence.

"OI, TEME I'M TALKING TO YOU!"

"Shut up, dope."

"Asshole."

"Dope."

"Asexually retarded emo dude."

Silence.

"Chicken butt haired man!"

Silence.

"TOMATO ADDICT!"

Silence.

"YEAH THAT'S IT TEME! SHUT YOUR TRA-AHHH!"

Choke, choke, choke.

Large gasp of air.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR TEME!?"

"Tch. Dope."

* * *

It was morning, around 7 AM.

Sakura had surprisingly been the first one awake─or so she thought.

When she got out of her single tent, she yawned lightly, stretching her limbs while she smiled brightly, her eyes shut tight, and then she happily strutted to the small campfire they had built yesterday, surprised to find it was still burning normally.

"Are you supposed to be asleep?" A voice called, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her head jerked in the direction of the voice, her eyes widening for a split second when she saw Sasuke standing not very far away from her, carrying a few pieces of wood to feed the fire. "S-Sasuke-kun?" She stammered, clearly taken aback.

"Hn." He grunted, passing her without further ado before he carefully dumped the pieces on the fire, taking a seat down on one of the logs on the ground, not even glancing at her when she approached him. She was reluctant, at first, but she decided sitting next to him couldn't hurt anyone, so she did. She smiled lightly when Sasuke glanced at her, biting in the tomato he had been carrying. And then he looked away after a while, taking another bite out of his tomato, seemingly comfortably and content with the way it was. Quiet and peaceful.

She didn't know why she found this moment fine too, like talking would actually ruin it all. It seemed just sitting there with him, watching him munch on his tomato like it was an apple, looking around the peaceful morning nature surrounding them, an actual feeling of harmony lingering between them...

It seemed everything was just perfect that way.

So she kept quiet, a smile always present when she looked around, and then back to him, her smile growing when he caught her looking at him, his eyes seemingly calm instead of angry or harsh or even just blank.

She liked that look.

It was just so Sasuke, in a way. The real Sasuke she knew.

So quiet, so calm and so peaceful. So rid of anger and of vengeance. So rid of annoyance and coldness. So rid of his habit of being emotionless.

She really thought the character of someone calm was very fitting for him.

He glanced at her again, blinking before he reached beside him and threw her an apple, making her yelp in slight surprise as she caught it. But when she looked down at it, she smiled, and looked up to him again, her smile growing softer and fonder. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun." She replied softly, giggling lightly when only silence greeted her.

And so she ate her apple as he ate his tomato, a small voice in the back of her mind just wishing that every morning could be spent like this.

Sitting with Sasuke, not saying anything, but just watching the world on a beautiful morning.

It seemed life would be perfect if it were like that.

* * *

**Alright I'm done! :)**

**Hope you enjoyed! :D**

**And wish me luck on my recovery of this stupid cold! XD**

**REVIEWWW!**


	16. Just Keep Reaching

**Hi, sorry for the late update! I'm kind of busy and a lot of shit has been going on… so yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**

"Oi, Sasuke-teme!"

The said man turned his head to look at the person that had called his name, his monotone eyes not once flickering with any emotions as he grunted brusquely in response. He almost had the temptation to roll his eyes when his best friend seemed to be unfazed by his emotionless actions, but he didn't, no matter how much he wanted to. He watched with blank eyes as the man stopped in front of him, his arms crossed behind his head, a large grin present on his lips while he looked at him. "Where's Sakura-chan?" The blue eyed boy finally asked after a while of endless sly staring.

Sasuke chose not to respond with words but rather with actions, his head tilting to the side as a sign of direction. The blonde followed the track, and his grin faltered lightly, the cheery glint in his eyes replaced by one of softness. He glanced at the raven haired man again, the glint growing even more while he noticed how his best friend seemed to have grown a bit uncomfortable, his blank features now holding that bit of irritation and unease. He glanced in the direction again, taking in mind the scene and making sure to place it somewhere in the back of his mind—somewhere he would not forget it.

She was sleeping again, her head pillowed on a small towel that Sasuke had no doubt pulled out of her medic bag, her face peaceful and angelic as she slept. But the thing that really made him go soft was seeing her upper half of her body slipped in Sasuke's shirt. The shirt was no doubt slightly torn and a bit bloody, and was certainly way too large for her, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

In fact, Naruto wondered if Sakura even knew she had her beloved's shirt on, or if Sasuke has subtly slipped in on. Of course, Naruto knew he would never admit to be the one to have covered her up and taken care of her, but his unease after he discovered Sakura like that certainly raised a fair amount of suspicions.

"She's still tired, eh?" He questioned after a while, turning to face Sasuke who had been taking a drink of his water bottle. The said man didn't answer as he screwed the cap back on, throwing the other shinobi a glare before he walked over to the usual place he went when he wanted to rest, making Naruto grin again. "Have a nice nap, Sasuke-teme!"

Sasuke simply scoffed in return, lying down on the grass, his back turned from the rookie nine, his face grim and irritated, for once. He calmed himself after a while, his blank features returning, and he closed his eyes, letting his mind drift off to random thoughts until finally darkness could take over.

But it never did.

All he could see was a swirl of pink hair and two bewitching emerald orbs, and for a moment, he swore he could feel that soft pair of lips against his again. His eyes snapped open, but he saw nothing. It was but a pure spur of his imagination. Of his memories.

He shifted on his other side slowly, obsidian staring blankly into space for a while before he finally let his gaze rest on Sakura's sleeping figure which was not so far away from him. Her back was facing him, but it didn't matter. He was seeing her, nevertheless.

He didn't know why seeing Sakura wear his shirt, where the small Uchiha fan was planted on the collar, was a sight that always made him stop breathing for a moment. Somehow, she wore the Uchiha fan so well. It fit her.

But Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the thought, and he looked away again, shifting on his other side so his back was facing them once again.

No.

He couldn't think that way about her.

* * *

"Feeling alright?"

Her head jerked up to look at the person who had spoken, her eyes widening for a split second, before they softened, a warm smile making its way to her lips in the same time. She nodded lightly, patting the area next to her as a silent invitation for him to sit down next to her.

"How about you, Shika?" She asked as he sat down, holding back the urge to laugh as he muttered his trademark line. "Troublesome… my arm hurts, but other than that I'm fine." He mumbled, cringing slightly when he moved his arm.

His blond team mate frowned. "Can you move it?" She asked, gripping his arm as gently as possible. He hissed slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, but it hurts." He muttered, wincing once more as she applied slight pressure to his arm. She smiled after a while, taking her hands off momentarily to perform seals. "Too easy to fix. Here, let me help you." She said, her eyebrows creasing in concentrating as she went and performed her healing technique on him.

It was silent for a few minutes, neither really wanting to say anything as she healed him, but when she was done, he muttered a quiet thank and rubbed his newly healed arm, a content sigh escaping as he felt no more pain. But what he didn't expect was to feel his team mate's weight crash on him, taking him completely off guard.

"Ino..!" He called in surprise, looking down at her in concern only for his figure to relax as he saw she had simply fallen asleep out of exhaustion. He shook his head, sighing exasperatedly. "Troublesome woman, you should have told me you didn't have much left… If I'd known, I would have waited." He mumbled to the sleeping girl, shifting her slightly in his arms before he placed her head on his lap, taking off his jounin vest in slow movement so he would not wake the girl. And as his vest was off, he placed it gently on her shoulders, sighing again as she moaned tiredly in her sleep.

"Troublesome woman…" He mumbled again, a slight smile grazing his lips as he looked down at the sleeping girl once more.

* * *

It was night when she woke up again, and it was quiet. She sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes, yawning before she looked around their camping area, her eyebrows raising lightly at all the slumped figures on the ground. _'They're all sleeping.'_ She thought to herself, rubbing her sleepy eyes again. She didn't know what time it was, but she guessed it was either around the late hours or very early morning. Frankly, she didn't really care what time it was, all that she cared about is that it was night and she should go back to sleep.

But before she could lie back down, she heard a soft clank, and her head jerked in the direction of the sounds, her eyes widening in slight surprise when she saw Sasuke sitting by the riverside, cleaning the dirt and blood off of his katana. She stared for a bit, surprised to see him up so late when everybody else was asleep, but then she realized that maybe he was just on patrol, since they obviously would need someone to watch over the area for any danger while the others were sleeping.

She frowned, bringing a hand up to scratch her itchy temple, but then completely froze as she saw the white material hanging loosely on her arms. Her eyes seemed to be frozen on the dirtied shirt, and her breath suddenly caught in her throat as she realized that it was _Sasuke's_ shirt. She looked down upon herself, and suddenly she couldn't breathe as she realized that she was actually _wearing_ his shirt.

"Go back to sleep, Sakura." She heard a deep, masculine voice call, although it has sounded more like a command.

She looked up in shock, blinking at the sight of the raven haired male whom was still washing his katana, looking as though he hadn't even said anything, which actually made Sakura wonder if he had really talked or if it was but only a trick of her imagination. She blinked again, pursing her lips, but then finally decided to pull herself up on her feet, walking towards the man quietly and almost hesitantly.

"I don't need company. Go back to sleep." He repeated, his previously bored tone now icy with a tinge of venom.

Sakura didn't listen, and instead she sat beside him, giving him a daring stare when he threw her an icy glare. "You're not the boss of me, Sasuke-kun." She muttered, giving him another bold stare as if simply _daring_ him to force her away. He scoffed, and she hummed in triumph, smiling lightly when he scowled at her reaction. Her smile faltered after a while, and she wondered if right now was the right time to ask the things she has been wanting to ask.

She looked around, smiling lightly as she saw that everyone was still asleep and that right now would probably be her only change to speak to him personally. Well, it would be their last chance if they lost to the war, that is, and as sad as it sounded, she didn't doubt they would. They weren't really in the best position.

"Sasuke-kun, I've been thinking a lot." The pink haired girl started, her voice soft but still loud enough for him to hear. The man stayed silent in return, his glare looking as though it was a little more murderous than before, although she could never really figure out why.

She then noted that Sasuke had been angry for some reason she did not know, but she had not realized that fact when she woke up and joined him. Maybe it would be best to leave him alone so he could cool off, or to listen to him vent off his anger, but she knew this would probably be their last time to talk together, alone.

Tomorrow, the others would wake, and at night, they would strike.

"I… I need some answers, Sasuke-kun." She went on, her eyes narrowing at the thought of the kiss he had given her before. "I need you to be honest with me. I've been so confused these past few days." Her voice was but a mere whisper now, but with Sasuke's fine hearing, it was no problem. She took a deep breath before she went on again. "That kiss—"

"What you seek, Sakura, is something I was never capable of to begin with." He cut her off, his voice quiet but never holding that flicker of emotion she would have appreciated.

His interruption caught her off, and she was a bit shocked at first, the revelation hitting her sharply in her heart. But she went to reply, anyway. "More like you've never been given the chance of." She whispered, burying her head in her pulled up knees.

He huffed an amused breath in response, and she looked up, her mouth dropping slightly at the sight of the half smile on his lips. "You always did speak so boldly. You shouldn't hope on things that cannot be, Sakura." She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she thought she saw a flicker of something in those blank orbs. Something like sadness, or at least an emotion akin to that.

"Things that cannot be?" Sakura repeated softly, her tone sad. "As far as I know, there are no laws against you and me." She finished in that same tone, glancing at him, her eyes narrowing in sorrow as she realized that his bangs were falling in his face so she could not see his features. She smiled sadly, letting her head drop in on her knees again. "Am I not enough?" She questioned, her voice so soft that he almost didn't hear her.

His anger seem to vanish within those seconds, replaced by a hollow feeling and that other feeling that he had newly discovered at the time their lips had touched. The feeling that had resurfaced in what seemed like so long ago.

He hadn't felt it ever since his clan died.

It had surfaced for a while when he was so close to Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura, back then, but the feeling was not strong enough for him. They were but little sparks that could die out so easily.

The feeling of warmth and of belonging.

"More than enough." He replied quietly after a while, his voice for once holding a small tinge of gloom. He thought he saw her face brightening, but it wasn't for long when she noticed that his features hadn't changed. "You're back, Sasuke-kun. When will you stop walking away from our reach?" She paused, her sad smile growing even more sorrowful. "…from my reach?"

"You should stop reaching." She heard him say, his voice missing that firm tone it always had. She smiled sadly again, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks freely. "I…can't." She whispered, raising her hand slowly and reaching out towards him, as if wanted to grab him and hold him. "You're sitting right beside me, and yet you feel so far away. I just need to know you're still there. I can't stop reaching until I do." She whispered, burying her head in her knees while her hand still reached out to him.

It was silent as she cried, no sound leaving her mouth. She was just letting tears fall freely and silently, not bothering to wipe them away because she knew more would come anyway. She just wanted to know the real Sasuke was still there, and that he was with them and not so far away. She needed to know it was possible for him to still exist, deep down there, that boy that cared for her back then.

She needed to know he was still Sasuke.

Her heart clenched when she heard him move, figure he was probably standing up and was most likely going to simply leave her there to cry, alone. Leaving her to realize the Sasuke she knew was gone, and that they really couldn't be.

That the kiss actually did not mean anything.

But her breath hitched when she felt warm fingertips brush her own, softly, and her heart stopped when his hand suddenly grabbed hers for a few seconds, lacing their fingers. But as soon as she looked up, she saw red eyes, and then blackness followed.

She thought she heard him say something before the darkness consumed her.

"_Keep reaching for me."_

Keep reaching, just keep reaching.

-

I need you to.

* * *

**Yeah, sorry again for the late update.. xD**

**Sad, though. :(**

**But, I mean that's kind of the way I see it. Sasuke just needs her to keep hanging on to him, and he needs somebody to keep on reaching up to him, to persist. And those people are his friends, but for me, he specifically needs Sakura to.**

**:) So yeah, lol.**

**I hope you enjoyed!**

**:D**

**P.s. He just made her fall back to sleep, so don't worry it's not anything else. Lol. **


	17. Think Again

**Hey! Time to update! Haha! I have a lot of free time, but I've been doing more amv's than updates on march break… bwahahaa! I'll still have every one of my stories updated by the end of march break though :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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Damn his stupid feelings _to hell_.

Damn _her_.

She was making him feel so many things and he didn't like it because those feelings were getting him too _freaking_ soft. Hence the reason why he was carrying the said girl in his arms, because his stupid feelings just would not accept to leave her on a patch of grass near the cold lake, with no cover or pillow.

Not to mention she could easily roll over and fall into the chilly lake.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, _stupid_—

His body flinched as he felt Sakura shift herself in his arms, a soft and quiet moan passing her lips as she buried her head in his chest, one of her hands taking a light but fistful of his shirt. He was frozen in place, unable to move as he stared down at the girl, his coal pools wide in shock, simply taken aback by the innocent action she had made. Subconsciously, the hand gripping her shoulder moved carefully, shifting her in his arms again in a way that his fingers could reach her face. He stroke once, twice, but as he suddenly realized what he was doing, his hand was snatched back and quickly placed on her shoulder again.

What the hell was that all about just now?

_This_ is exactly what Sasuke hated, at the moment. He found himself doing things he normally wouldn't do—things he normally had under control. He even found himself thinking thoughts that would have never crossed his mind before, back when he was the unaffected Uchiha in control of every inch of his emotions.

But this pink haired blossom messed everything up!

He sighed inwardly, shaking the thoughts out of his head, and then proceeded to walk over to her usual resting spot, ignoring the intent and surprised stare that Naruto was giving him as he watched him carry Sakura over to her bed. The boy had barely awoken, Sasuke had noticed, and looked like he thought he was still dreaming, seeing as he kept on rubbing his eyes, widening them a bit and then stare intently again.

Ignoring the blonde as much as he could, he simply carefully bent down and placed the girl down as gently as possible, his hand twitching to reach for the cover placed beside her and to pull it over her small and frail body—something he was unable to do because Naruto was still watching. So Sasuke did the only thing left to do: he stood up and left for his own resting place, seeing as Naruto had probably woken up knowing it was his turn to stand guard.

Although the said boy had not gone to his patrolling role before he took the cover, unfolded it, and then placed it carefully over Sakura, making sure that he lower body was covered more since she still had Sasuke's shirt to keep her upper body warm. He smiled lightly when Sakura sighed in her sleep, shifting herself on the side, all the while pulling the cover closer to herself.

Naruto glanced at the raven haired man lying not so far away from them and smiled lightly, knowing fully that if Sasuke really did not care, he would have never bothered to carry Sakura over to her bed, nor would he have saved her life. Naruto knew that no matter how much Sasuke denied it and pretended otherwise, Sakura was somebody very precious to Sasuke.

He wasn't saying Sakura was just a friend to Sasuke, either.

Oh no, Naruto knew she was _so much more_ than just that.

* * *

"Where are you guys going?" A brunette haired woman asked, frowning even more as none of the males answered her question, but rather only spared her a glance. She huffed indignantly, placing her hands on her hips, but as she opened her mouth to speak, a hand placed itself on her shoulder. "Scouting." The voice said simply, his tone quiet but serious, his lavender orbs digging deep into her surprised brown pools.

She blinked, shutting her mouth back slowly, her frown deepening while Neji simply nodded knowingly to her and then released his hold on her shoulder, passing her by to join the others. But before he could go any further, a hand enclosed itself softly around his wrist, tugging lightly to make him turn. "Neji, wait."The said Hyuuga turned to face his team mate, knowing fully it was her, and quirked a single brow at her worried expression. "Be careful. It's… you know it's Akatsuki out there… even a simple scouting task is risky and dangerous." She whispered, narrowing her eyes to the ground.

"I'll come back." He replied without hesitation, making TenTen smile at his sure-of-himself attitude. She looked up, still smiling, but her smile faltered as she was met by the sight of a small red bag. She blinked, taking the bag from her team mate's hand, looking up to him again with confused brown orbs. "They'll help." He stated simply, eying her carefully for a while before he nodded as a simple goodbye and turned again, walking towards the awaiting males of their small group.

"Be careful, all of you!" Another voice called from TenTen's side.

The said girl turned to look at whom it was, a small smile grazing her lips when her eyes landed on Ino's worried form. TenTen grinned, slinging her arm around the kunoichi's shoulder, laughing lightly when Ino yelped in surprise. "Don't worry, Ino! They're tough boys." TenTen reassured, winking at her. Ino blinked, but slowly, a smile grazed her lips. "Yeah. Thanks, TenTen."

TenTen looked at all the shinobis, and then frowned. "Hey, guys, isn't Sasuke supposed to be with you?"

The group of males turned to look at the brunette, blinking a couple times before they looked around themselves, realizing that yes, in fact, Sasuke was missing. The blonde haired boy frowned deeply, sighing exasperatedly. "I'll go get him. I'm pretty sure I know where he is." He mumbled, nodding to the others. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

And so, the blonde jumped down from his tree branch, sprinting towards the opening of grass, mumbling a bit under his breath about Sasuke and his precious cherry blossom. He cursed lightly when he finally sensed his rival's dark chakra and took the best shortcut to get to where he was, trying, as well, to use as less chakra as possible.

And when he finally reached the location, Naruto opened his mouth to yell at his best friend, only for his body to freeze in complete and utter shock at the scenery that lay ahead of him.

Oh. My. Freaking. God.

* * *

Sasuke's didn't know what or how it happened.

One second he was settling down his katana to put on his arm guards, and the next his katana was gone.

He looked around himself to see if he had not simply accidentally hit his katana and moved it elsewhere, but it was nowhere to be seen. He looked up in frantic movements, but as soon as his eyes landed on the pink haired woman sitting on a rock, holding and twisting his beloved Kusanagi in her hands, the Uchiha stilled completely.

His gaze darkened inconsiderably, and he snarled something she did not quite catch—although she did not even seem to care. Sasuke took a few heavy steps towards her, stopping again as she jerked her head up to look at him, her eyes deathly and angry, taking him completely off guard.

Why was she angry? She didn't even have the right! _She_ had his freaking sword! He didn't do anything!

"Low blow, last night. Is that how you escape every time? Just knocking me out somehow?" She snapped at him, digging the blade in the ground in a quick movement. Sasuke decided to avoid the question as he simply moved forward again, reaching to grab his sword, his threatening gaze darkening again as she gripped it first. "Answer me." She spat.

"Give me my sword, Sakura. I have no time for this." Sasuke replied, his voice flat and controlled. He took another step forward, gripping the handle of the blade, but was unable to take it back because of her own firm grip. "Give it back." Sasuke drearily ordered, glaring at her through angry coal pools. Sakura only huffed an amused breath in return, clenching her fist tighter around the handle. "Not until you answer me."

"I have no time for this. The others are waiting for me." He replied again, his tone a notch higher and more demanding. His eyes were back to blank, but she could clearly see the slight flickers of impatience that flashed every so often. Sakura scoffed, "Don't try to avoid this, Sasuke. You owe me an explanation for last night." She replied quietly, her eyes narrowing in sadness for a moment.

"I owe you nothing." Sasuke dryly said, taking her moment of weakness to tug quickly at the sword, a slight smirk grazing his lips when she released her grasp in shock. He placed his Kusanagi back in its container and prepared to turn, only for a hand to grip his wrist, stopping his movements. He turned his head to snap at the cherry blossom girl, but as he felt a light pressure on his lips, his body froze completely and he suddenly forgot how to breathe.

Was Sakura… kissing him?

He felt a hand press itself against his bare chest, another hand snaking to the base of his neck, pulling his face closer to hers. His thoughts had vanished, his heart had stopped beating—everything in his had just frozen.

He couldn't even believe this was truly happening to him. Sakura had never been the bold type. She had never been the type to engage these type of things.

But here she was, _kissing_ him.

He didn't know much time passed until she pulled away, her eyes not even meeting his because she had pulled herself tightly against him, her head buried in his shoulder. She had gone from kissing him to hugging him, and yet, Sasuke was still as rigid as a stone. He didn't know how to respond, and heck he couldn't respond even if he _wanted_ to. It just wasn't a Sasuke type of thing to do.

"Asshole. I guess it all kind of makes sense, now that I think about it this way." She mumbled against his chest, too dazed and in thoughts to notice the way he flinched under the touch of her lips on his flesh. She sighed, pulling away from the hug, taking a single step back to look at him. Sakura smiled as she cupped his face in her hands, noticing the way he pulled his head back to jerk away from her touch, only for her to tighten her grip very slightly on his face.

"Stop running away, Sasuke. Damnit if you like me, you just have to say so." She murmured, pulling his head downwards until it was only inches away from hers. She smiled at his shocked look, and then she leaned in to close the gap between their lips again, only to be utterly shocked when Sasuke suddenly slipped out of her grasp. "Maybe you need to rethink your theories again." Sasuke muttered, glancing back at her before he vanished with a teleportation jutsu.

Sakura didn't even have the time to register his words in her mind because somebody else has spoken again, the tone shaky and disbelieving. "S-Sa…Sakura…-chan…?"

She turned to look at the person, her eyes widening in slight surprise at the sight of the blonde haired shinobi looking utterly flabbergasted. "Naruto?" She breathed softly.

But just as Naruto was about to speak up, his name was called by the deep voice of his best friend. Sakura glanced at the man far off into the distance, her eyes widening slightly as he met her eyes, staring at her with his onyx orbs that glimmered with something, for once.

And then he vanished again, with Naruto, leaving Sakura to wonder if she had been right or wrong.

Did Sasuke like her?

* * *

**Nnnng. I don't like how this came out. Like, at all. And I know it's short it's just that I couldn't come up with anything and yeah… All my ideas are for the next update. **

**Oh and by the way, Sasuke's answer doesn't mean he rejects her. Think again about what he could possibly mean by "Maybe you need to rethink your theories again."**

**Hint: "Stop running away, Sasuke. Damnit if you like me, you just have to say so."**

**Enjoy.**

**xD**

**I promise to try on the next update! I guess I just wasn't in the mood for this one…**

**HOPE YOU ENJOYED ANYWAY! :D**


	18. Misunderstandings

**Sorry for the very, very late update! You know how it is for school! It's crazy! Especially at this time of the year! But at least, be glad that I DO update :P**

**Disclaimer: Me no owny Naruto.**

* * *

No way.

There was absolutely _no freakin way_ that she was going to get away with this!

Who did this pinky think she was? Some kind of irrational woman who thought she owned _her_ raven haired sexy beast? Some kind of lunatic who thought Sasuke would like a girl with pink freaking hair? Some kind of loopy ninja who was drowning on impossible hopes of earning the love of _the_ Uchiha?

Oh, _dream on._

Sasuke-kun was _hers_. All hers!

_She_ had Sasuke's love, _and_ his heart! There was no way that this girl could get away with_ kissing. Her. Man!_

_'She's so gonna get it.' _Karin thought, shoving away a tree branch from her way.

Okay, so this really wasn't supposed to be happening right now. I mean, her plan was to find Sasuke, and to convince him to get back into Team Hawk. Really, it was something as simple as that. All she had to do was follow his chakra signature, which was really easy to tell apart from all the others. But then when she had finally found him, she also found out he was with another girl. Although she was pleased, at first, since Sasuke was not showing any sign of interest towards her, and was blatantly pissed. But then after a few heavy retorts and angry hissing, the girl suddenly threw herself at him and kissed him.

_Kissed. Him._

So then Karin was shocked out of her damn mind. Just like that, her mind was blown away with confusion because of so many reasons.

One, Sasuke was always on guard for people getting close to him. How did that girl manage to take down Sasuke's guard? Karin had never seen him take his guard down for _anyone_.

Two, Sasuke totally had the chance to pull away in the gazillion minutes that she had her lips against his. In fact, she had been prepared to see him shove her away the very second her mouth touched his. But Sasuke _didn't_.

Three, he still had the freaking chance to pull away when she _hugged_ him!

And least of all...

Why the _hell_ didn't he shout at her when all of this was over?

"You stupid fucking little conniving _bitch_!"

So much for stealthiness.

Because believe it or not, Karin _had_ planned on sneaking up on the girl to surprise attack her and rip her damn ridiculous rosetted hair. She really _would_ have if anger wasn't boiling in every mini little inch of her bloody. _Really_.

"Who the hell are you?"

Oh, she did _not_.

This girl couldn't _possibly_ be oblivious to who Karin was! I mean, _of course_ her Sasuke-kun mentioned her! Scratch that. _Of course _her dear Sasuke-kun _always_ talked about her! Like, how could she _not_ know about her? Is she deaf or something? Has she _not_ been listening to the man she'd _kissed_ only moments ago?

But screw that, none of this seemed to really matter to Karin right now. Because right this moment, Karin was on a mission to destroy the motherfucking pink haired bitch who kissed her man!

* * *

"You stupid fucking little conniving _bitch_!"

Haruno Sakura sharply turned her head towards the voice, her eyes widening in bafflement and utter surprise as her gaze landed on a red eyed, crimson haired kunoichi fumingly stomping towards her as though she was about to kill. Her eyebrows rose in confusion, which could only be for one simple reason...

"Who the hell are you?"

...she did not know who this girl was.

But yet, she was blatantly pissed at her, and Sakura hadn't a clue why the girl would be. After all, the young medic really did not remember such a face as hers, and did not recall doing anything that would anger _anyone_, lately. Pursing her lips, her eyebrows rose a little higher, confusion still glimmering clearly in her orbs, but as she saw the girl clench her fist and raise it to hit, Sakura's eyes widen. The pinkette quickly dodged the hit without much effort, but she was still baffled as to why this other kunoichi wanted to hit her.

"What the hell?!" She barked, fisting her hands into tight balls. "What is wrong with you?! I don't even know you!"

This seemed to infuriate the red haired woman all the more, which made Sakura annoyed, suddenly. Why the hell would this girl want to hit her when she hadn't done anything?!

"Keep away from _my_ Sasuke-kun!"

"I'm not even─Wait a minute. You know Sasuke?"

Oh. Well that would explain_ so much._

I mean, now that Sasuke was involved into this 'problem', a lot of things make sense now. This girl knew Sasuke, and was obviously infatuated by him. She also didn't have any headband, although, and so Sakura guessed she was from this village and had probably heard stories and rumours about Sasuke and herself in their young days. But then again, the more Sakura thought about it, the more she realised that this girl had come out from a bush, thus was probably spying on her and─

Oh no. _Oh hell freaking no_! She─this girl couldn't possibly have seen her kiss Sasuke, right?!

"Of course I know him you stupid pink haired mutt!" The other girl spat, her eyes narrowing deathly. The words that came out of the red haired's mouth had earned her an angry stare. She huffed, flipping her hair back smoothly, and glared firmly at Sakura. "We're madly in love with each other."

Her statement was said so confidently and casually that Sakura could not help but to actually believe, for a second.

"You─what?" The young medic stammered softly, feeling her heart shattering into tiny little pieces. _'So is that why he...said that earlier? He...he loves her? His heart is... already taken..?' _She thought, narrowing her eyes to the ground in sorrow. Her heart burned in her chest cavity, and she could feel it breaking even more the longer she stared at the confident red haired woman in front of her who still looked as pissed off as ever.

But a voice broke her out of her sad, heartbroken thoughts.

"Karin? What are you─_What the hell are you doing here?_"

* * *

It was fast.

Their scouting mission had not been very long, and had actually been much easier than they thought it would be. Within the next fifteen minutes after he'd left Sakura, he was already heading back to their hideout. Well, it was certain their little mission would have lasted longer if hadn't been so many, since each member of the team would have been given more tasks, and thus would have stayed longer to accomplish them. Sasuke was already heading back because his tasks had been fully accomplished already, and so he had no purpose of staying there any longer.

But then as he was nearing camp, Sasuke sensed something. Or more like, _someone_. Right beside Sakura, as well.

And he definitely did not like the way the person's chakra signature waved off dangerously.

_'Karin.' _He sneered in his thoughts.

And so without further thought, Sasuke sped towards the direction of the place where the two women were, his eyes narrowed in annoyance and irritation, hands fisted into tight balls, body tense, and the most surprisingly of it all...

...his eyes were also spinning red.

He saw a green clearing coming up from the heavy foliage of the nature, and without really knowing, his blood pumped with adrenaline coming from the feeling of protection swirling madly in the pit of his stomach. He had been way too focused on speeding to the destined place to really realize that the reason he wanted to get there as fact as possible was to protect his pink haired angel.

"You─what?"

He'd barely heard Sakura's voice─it was breathy and heavy hearted. He didn't like the tone in her statement, or the way her voice shook, as if holding back sobs. And when he got into the clearing, surprisingly unseen, he saw her, and he found that he also did not like the way her body was hunched, as if defeated. He wasn't quite sure, but he thought he also caught sight of her teeth digging lightly in her bottom lip, an action she always made when she tried to hold back tears.

But suddenly, as he became aware of the other girl's presence, Sasuke's worries over Sakura seemed to be overpowered by furious anger towards the red haired kunoichi. His mouth parted, a sneer formed, and words flew out of his mouth in a low, venomous hiss.

"Karin? What are you─_What the hell are you doing here?_"

Both kunoichi jumped at the sound of his voice, one shivering in fear, while the other seemed to brighten out of her fuming mood, somehow foolishly believing that his anger wasn't directed to her. Sasuke found himself growing even darker at that last thought, which made his eyes narrow all the more dangerously, and his sneer twitch even bigger. He was about to retort a furious comment, but was cut off by a kunai whizzing pas his left shoulder, barely grazing his skin─an action that made him immediately grab the pink haired girl to push her down on the floor.

"Teme! They found us! They caught us while we were scouting!" Sasuke heard his best friend shout, although it had sounded oddly far away as he was now staring down at the girl he was pinning on the floor. Sakura was shocked out of her damn mind, that was no secret, but she oddly seemed to be tearing up the more she stared at him. Although Sasuke did not have time to waste, since they could not be caught and preyed any second now, and so he stood and grabbed the girl's wrist without so much as a warning, pulling her up.

"Sas─"

"Get the hell out of here, Karin!" Sasuke snapped, cutting her off and giving her a warning glare.

The girl merely beamed and nodded, mistaking his actions as one a boyfriend would do to keep his girlfriend safe, which had clearly not been his intentions. In fact, Karin was so caught up in her dreamy thoughts, and determined on getting away from there and to safety, that she had completely failed to notice that Sasuke still had a tight grip on Sakura's wrist.

* * *

They were running through the thick forest, Sasuke still gripping her wrist tightly, while Sakura struggled to follow and not trip in the same time, her lips forming a scowl of pure discontent. She didn't like being dragged like a dog, but Sasuke knew these places better than she did, and he was fast as heck, and so she would probably hardly be able to keep up with him if he let her go. And even though they were in the middle of a battle which could likely be their last, Sakura couldn't help but to let her mind wander back to Karin's words, and how confident she was about it.

"_We're madly in love with each other."_

She had not been so convinced at first, but it was just how confident and casual way that Karin seemed that managed to slowly convince her. And then there was also the anger and the surprise in Sasuke's voice as he found them both there, as if he was angry she'd left a safe place. And then there was the sharp command he gave for her to leave, no doubt to keep her safe from Akatsuki. To save this one woman who'd help him rebuild his clan after this was all done and over with.

And she thought she'd gotten it all wrong. She thought Sasuke liked _her_. That there would never be anyone else who could help him but _her_. That Sasuke would never be able to like anyone else but _her_. That she was acting like a freaking _whore_ and _man stealer_.

Without even being able to hold herself back, Sakura suddenly burst into tears, making the Uchiha stop abruptly as he became aware of that fact.

"...Sakura...? What are you─Damnit, why are you _crying_?"

* * *

**Oh misunderstandings. -snickers-**

**You know, I'm so very sorry that this is unbelivably short, but I HAD to update, even though I knew it probably wouldn't be long. Like, I haven't updated in what? 2 months? Jeez. That's too long! But don't worry, more will be coming up, just not right now! I'm extremely busy with school, and my social life is insanely hectic and messed up. I have lots of things to deal with :S**

**But thanks for being so patient with me! :)**

**And now please review! XD**

**:)**

**P.s. Can anyone guess the reason he sent Karin away? :P**


	19. His Reason To Fight

**Zomg! It was my last official day of school! Now I have to do an exam on Thursday, and one on Monday, and school will OFFICIALLY BE OUT! :D YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!**

**And now on with the update. –grins-**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

**

Okay, so he was confused beyond infinity, could you really blame him for being so harsh with her? He obviously hadn't meant to snap out brash words now that she was frigging crying, but hey, he just couldn't help himself. And they were running away from Akatsuki _for Kami's sake_! _Another_ damn reason to sound hurried and angry at her random spur of tears, whimpers, and sobs.

But the more Sasuke stared at the crying girl, the more he felt guilt wash over him in _fat_, **intense** waves.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair, his apathetic, although slightly clueless, eyes raising themselves to her crying form. Droplets of ice cold see-through liquid started to fall down—his cue to grab her forearm and gently, although almost forcefully, tugging her away from the rain and further down in the thicker part of the forest. Once he spotted a tree with large branches that could hold the both of them, he tugged at her wrist, narrowing his eyes lightly when she choked a sob, but managed to get herself over on safe, dry branch of that giant tree.

He followed soon after, red eyes scanning the area, but as soon as he finished doing so, he returned his attention towards the pink haired girl whom had luckily found a crack in the huge tree trunk which would serve them as their shelter. He ducked his head as he entered, curious obsidian orbs carefully scanning the shivering form of a small kunoichi who seemed nothing like the Sakura he'd gotten used to lately.

"…Sakura." He called in a low voice, his tone filled with something akin to concern.

The girl choked a sob in response, but he thought he heard her mutter words of disdain to herself. He sighed exasperatedly, finding that this was way too much to handle at the moment, but he also knew that the Sakura of now rarely cried, and thus this had to be important. Still, Sasuke had never been one to know what to do when somebody else was in pain and needed comfort—he'd always been the one being comforted.

So he did what he thought would be best to do: he went and sat down next to her, unexpectedly wounding his arms around her to pull in what he hoped was a comforting embrace. He knew it was not in his character to act as such, and thus was not surprised to hear her gasp in utter shock, but Sasuke didn't let go nonetheless—he kept his firm grip on her. It took a while before she had finally realized what this was all about, and when she did so, her arms went around him tightly, and she mumbled words that made his blood freeze while sniffing lightly.

"I'm sorry. I'm such a whore."

His head moved, making his chin brush her hair, but Sasuke didn't care because his mind was set on her words. "Sakura, what the hell gave you that idea?" He scowled, moving his head away again to look down at her face. She was still crying, but she was not whimpering or sobbing out words—it was only hot, fat, painful tears streaming down her face. "I didn't know. If only I'd known about you and Karin, I wouldn't have kissed you! I—I wouldn't—"

But she was cut off by the Uchiha. "Me and Kar—What the hell are you talking about, Sakura?" He was scowling again, but his words were clearly not angry. Just unbelievably confused. Sakura had somehow made it up in her mind that Karin and him were—Kami! He couldn't even find a word that described how disturbing it all sounded to him. Not that Karin was really that much of a bad person, but hell, she was just so frigging annoying and way too clingy. Sasuke couldn't find it in himself to appreciate a person such as herself as more than a friend—if she even was one of his friends. She was just an acquaintance.

Kami—He never even showed any remotely close sign of an actual interest towards Karin in _that_ way. So how in hell did Sakura conclude to herself that Karin was his—his—his freaking girlfriend!

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice so low that he almost didn't hear her question. He looked down at the girl again, for one second feeling rather uncomfortable because he realized that the way he was holding her most certainly would seem like the embrace of a lover to any passerby. But then he sighed, shaking his head while he growled lightly. "Karin and I aren't… like _that_." He mumbled, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the thought of the red haired girl and himself _together_.

But then he saw the incredulous look on her face, and rolled his eyes. "I don't know what the hell kind of messed up thought made you think otherwise." He grunted lightly, looking down at the girl again, to find that her tears were still streaming, but slowly and silently. He was quiet, for a while, as he stared down at the girl, but then he sighed again. "Karin doesn't mean anything to me. If anything, she's just a friend. So if that's why you're crying, you really should stop." He sounded gruff, and irritated, but Sakura had somehow managed to see the kindness under it all. She smiled lightly, and then did something that caught him completely off guard.

She kissed his cheek. Softly.

She had known it wasn't the wisest thing to do, since of course she wasn't even positive if he liked her or not, but she thought it had to be done anyway. It was the only way that she thought about to thank him. But what had surprised her the most, although, was that Sasuke had not said anything after her grateful kiss, even though she could feel that his body was as stiff as stone. His arms were still around her, tightly holding on in his rigid grip, but after a while, she felt him relax, stiff limbs returning into relaxed ones.

"I'd expected some kind of warning, or an angry retort, you know." She voiced, looking up at him with a playful smile. One of his arms retracted to his sides as he sighed, and then he shook his head, glancing at her lightly. "There was no need to." He mumbled in reply. Sakura grinned, pulling herself away from him to get a better look at his form, and then she spoke up, "Really? Not even a little 'get away from me' or something along the lines of 'you're so annoying. Don't ever do that again' ?" Her tone was teasing, that he definitely noticed, but Sasuke didn't really care. "I'd be lying if I did said that." He quietly replied, moving onto his feet to check up on their surroundings outside.

Sakura was left stunned, sitting in the dark shelter, bark itching at her back but going completely unnoticed as she kept on repeating Sasuke's words in her mind. If Sasuke said what she thought he said, then it could only mean one thing.

And Kami-sama, if that was true, she just died and went to heaven.

* * *

Madara was amused.

_Injured_, but he was amused.

It was a wonder to him what truly happened to make Sasuke change his mind about whose side he was on. It was a wonder to him why this pink haired girl seemed to reach to Sasuke the way that nobody else ever did, and probably never would. It was a wonder to him how he managed to let Sasuke slip out of his grip.

But no matter, Madara decided that he would not dwell on those thoughts. He'd tracked them down with the one and only goal of killing them both brutally, and he could do so right now if he wanted to, since he had just discovered their hideout. But something held him back, and it irritated him to no end, because really, all he wanted to do was slit their throats and watch their warm blood trickle down his blade. All he wanted to hear was the painful screams that both ninjas would let out as he would torture them. All he wanted to feel was the adrenaline running through his veins as he would kill them.

Ah, yes, Madara was a masochist. Nothing pleased him more than seeing others in pain.

A wicked grin grazed his lips as he sensed a kunai being thrown his way, and at the last possible moment, he dodged it, eyes wandering and squinting through the heavy shower of rain to see the pair trying to discretely escape their shelter without being seen. He took a step forward, his grin growing malicious as he noticed the raven haired boy flinch at his action, his head whipping around towards Sakura, no doubt to tell her to run away.

The girl fought back, and pleaded him to stay with her, but Sasuke did not listen. He senselessly pushed her back, yelling at her that she had to go or she would die. She retorted to him that he would die too, if he stayed. Madara thought he saw the corner of Sasuke's lips twitching upwards in a bitter, sad smile, for a moment, before forming a grim line again. He spoke words that Madara did not hear, but it somehow got her crying, and then run away.

He knew that the time had come to confront Sasuke.

* * *

"Get away, Sakura!" Sasuke snarled, pushing the girl back. But the girl shook her head frantically, tears brimming her orbs. "No, Sasuke-kun! I can't leave you! We can't leave each other! Damnit, we're supposed to look out for each other! I'm staying with you!" She yelled back, stepping back beside the man.

She felt his hand push on her stomach hard, making her stumble back again, and then she heard him growl thickly through clenched teeth. "You stupid woman! Go the hell away, or you'll die god damnit! You don't stand a chance again him, even now!" His lips were twisted in a snarl, his tone filled with anger and desperation—but his eyes betrayed him. She could see the worry there, in those dark pools. The worry, the hurt, the desperation for her to get away so she would not get hurt. "Well you'll die too, Sasuke! You can't possibly beat a man of his status! You're sacrificing your life for nothing, Sasuke-kun! _Nothing_!"

Sasuke felt a bitter smile trying to reach his lips, because he knew that part of her words were true. If he stayed, he would no doubt be killed. But she had been wrong about that last part. Dying for nothing? No. He was dying for her. Dying for his ex-teammate. Dying for the only girl he ever actually cared for. Dying for the girl who loved him.

"I'll die for you, not for nothing, Sakura. They always need a medic—they need you. I'm just a ninja filling in his duty to protect the village. To protect the ones who deserve to live. To protect you." He went quiet, his sad smile turning into a grim line. "Run away, Sakura. Run away and don't ever look back. I'll buy you some time." He unlocked his katana from its container, his eyes narrowing in a deathly glare as he now could define the outline of Madara. "Go." He hissed.

The girl was speechless, and tears were spilling from her orbs endlessly. But Sakura could not help herself, she opened her mouth, spoke words that touched his heart, and then turned her back on him to break into a run where she would never look back.

"_I love you, Sasuke-kun. I never stopped, and I never will. I will always love you."_

It seemed he had a reason to hold on, after all. A reason to fight, and a reason to win.

Because he had to go back to this pink haired woman. The only girl who ever truly loved him.

Damnit, he had to.

* * *

**I seem to be getting a habit of writing short chapters for this story, eh?**

**Blah. Whatev. I had a bad day, and all I want to do is sleep. So, I'll really TRY to make longer updates in the future, when my exams are all done. Action will be starting officially as well. :D**

**Now, review!**

**:D**


	20. Let Me Keep This Promise

**Hey guys, sorry about the very late updates for like, all of my stories... I know I say this every time, but it's true, I'm very busy! :S**

**I hope you're not mad... :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

Heartbreak was something that Haruno Sakura was much too familiar with after all these years. She had known what it felt like to have her heart broken in tiny little pieces, and then left alone to try to mend it on her own. She had felt the stinging pain in her heart, like an arrow piercing right through it, ripping through the most delicate part of herself. She had spent sleepless nights in her bed, crying and crying for that one person who was the cause of her pain, begging and pleading for this agony to go away. She had spent days, weeks, and even months trying to fake her happiness, trying to ignore the tugging at her heart and those tears brimming her eyes.

Oh yes, Haruno Sakura was very familiar with heartbreak.

But _this_... this was not heartbreak. Oh no, this was something greater, bigger. Something that hurt more than any injury, any broken heart, or any emotional turmoil. This... this was too much to rightfully explain. The pain, it wasn't just agonizing, it was _unbearable_. The tears leaving her eyes, they weren't just from her pain of loss, but from her anger towards herself, her anger towards him, her anger towards Madara, and of course, her pain of feeling so useless and worthless. Her heart wasn't breaking, no, no, it was _shattering and disintegrating into thin air_. With time, nothing would be left of her heart. Nothing but a big hole representing a space that could only be filled by one person.

That one person that would die at any given moment now. Dying for her.

It was impossible for her to describe the pain running through her entire being as she thought about the fact that _Sasuke_, the only man she has ever loved, was giving his life for _her_. The pain was swallowing her whole, invading every inch of every nerve present in her body, hazing her mind and making her heart tug and bleed and pound against her ribcage. The pain was so overwhelming for her that it made her lungs close up, and constrict, resulting in making it harder to breathe for her. Every breath she took in, every single one of them had been hard to be inhaled both because she was running, and because all of the hurt she was feeling inside.

"_Sakura..."_

Her eyes slipped shut tightly, and anguish continued to fill up in her being at the remembrance of the way her name sounded as it came off his lips. Not wanting to cry out and let the world know how she couldn't handle any more hurt, she bit her lips hard enough to create a small cut, where slight blood was pouring out from. At that precise moment, her eyes blurred while she was still running full speed, and thus without her sight, her foot caught hold of the tip of a rock, making her body tumble forward towards the ground.

"_...Thank you."_

"Thank you for what, Sasuke-kun?" the pink haired medic mumbled onto the ground while fresh, warm tears prickles her eyes. "For being a useless comrade? For letting you risk your life for someone like me, who is much less valuable than you are? For being so annoying to you all these years? For getting in your way all the time?" she was choking out the words the more she went on questioning, and the prickling tears started streaming down her face, transforming her lightly cringing features into grief-stricken ones.

_"All I've been doing is watching you two from behind... now, get a good look at my back!" _

Her tears streamed faster and faster, making her eyes sting. Sakura choked a sob while putting her palms flat out on the ground to help herself back up. "Why can't I keep my promises?" she whispered to herself, biting her lip to hold back another sob of desperate sadness. "I promised myself I wouldn't be a burden to any of them, no, no longer..."

"_I won't be a hindrance to you any more!_"

"...I promised myself I'd bring Sasuke-kun back..."

"_We'll bring him back. Together."_

"...I promised myself that I wouldn't be the one who will be saved all the time..."

"_Next time─"_

"...that I would be the savior..."

Tears continued to slide down her pink cheeks, and for once since what seems like so long ago, Sakura let go of everything she held inside. The tears started flowing down her cheeks fast and endlessly while broken sobs escaped her lips, and her body shook with such intensity that any passerby would worry about her state. She cried for her loss, she spoke of her pain, she murmured of her love, screaming about how it would never be the same without him. Teardrops wet her shirt, the ground and her skin. Her pain wavered in her chakra.

"_Next time─"_

And then something clicked.

"─_I'll save the both of you."_

The very second she remembered that promise, Sakura was gone with a murmur.

-

-

("This time, I'll save you, Sasuke-kun.")

* * *

Dodging the deadly hit thrown his way, Sasuke swung his arm gripping the katana towards the eldest Uchiha, his lips forming a thin line as he detected the movement of Madara's foot aiming to hit him in the knees. With a graceful and quick dodge, he managed to evade the attack, although it has ruined his perfect aim and instead made his katana thrust at his side. Madara dodged quickly while performing seals, which made Sasuke's eyes widen. He cursed under his breath, doing quick movements to back off, only for breath to be knocked out of his lungs as the jutsu sent him flying against a tree trunk.

"Impressive, Sasuke. Never thought you'd last this long. You sure are persistent ever since our last fight. Perhaps the girl had an effect on you?" Sasuke scowled, shakily standing from his fall while holding his murderous gaze with Madara's amused one. "Tell me, Sasuke, is this really the reason you're holding out against me so stubbornly?" he asked, his tone high with arrogance and pride. The younger Uchiha almost had the temptation to raise a brow, but he simply settled with looking apathetic at his words, even though he was a bit curious inside. Madara smirked lightly, and in a movement far too quick to be seen or sensed by Sasuke's tired mind, his enemy lodged a sword deeply in his shoulder. As a trained shinobi, Sasuke didn't show much sign of pain, but the pain was far too great for him not to let his lips form a grimace.

"I asked you a question, young fool." Madara hissed, his lips twisting in a malicious smile as he pressed harder on his blade. Sasuke let out a low hiss while his nails dug in the hard bark of the wide branch he was on, but he managed to lift his head up to glare at the man again. "And what if she is the reason?" he hoarsely revealed, clenching his jaw tightly as the blade dug itself in the trunk, making him completely unable to move his shoulder without cutting more flesh.

"Well, I guess it'll be time to say your last farewell to the girl before I kill you ahead of her very eyes."

Sasuke thought that Madara was merely bluffing with him, but it was when he saw the truth in his glimmering orbs and the malice held within them as they rose to somewhere past him that he began to fear. In very slow, languid movements, Sasuke turned his head to where Madara was looking, and he felt his breath catch in his throat as he took in the scene that lay before him.

She was there alright, just like Madara had said. She was panting harshly, and tears were streaming down silently on her cheeks, but she looked as determined and fierce as he's ever seen her been. The words left his mouth before he knew it.

"What the _hell_ are you doing here, Sakura!?" he snarled, struggling out of the blade's grip in hope to dash towards her and bring her away. But to no avail, his shoulder kept being pinned by the eldest Uchiha's blade, and Sakura remained unmoving._ "I told you to run! I told you never to look back! I told you I would buy you some time so you could **live**!"_ He went on, his voice high with anger and fear. _"And what do you do?! **You're making our efforts worthless!**"_

"I know." She replied softly, while she was still catching her breath. She narrowed her eyes to the branch, and smiled lightly. "But I just couldn't, Sasuke-kun. I haven't kept any of my promises. Any of them. I had to keep at least one of them, and then at least I'd feel like a worthy and loyal kunoichi. At least I wouldn't feel like a liar and a betrayer." the young kunoichi went on, exhaling a long breath before she wiped her tears and raised her head to meet his furious gaze.

"You told me you would die to protect me, a medic nin needed for the village. You told me you would die as a ninja complying to the duty of any other ninja of its village. You told me how you would die for someone who is more valuable then you are..." she smiled sadly, and moved her arm at her back, where she touched a scroll. "...and when I think back about this, I can't help but to disagree." The shock Sasuke had felt then was so immense that he could not hold back showing his surprised features. "You're the last Uchiha willing to rebuild the clan, Sasuke-kun. You're a ninja who possesses the rare skills and endless strength that not many do these days. You could help the village so much with the war going on. And me? I'm just a medic. A damn good one, but there are other exceptional medics in the village, Sasuke-kun. I can be replaced," her gazed saddened lightly. "but you can't."

Sasuke would have wanted to retort back to her words and tell her to run away, once again, but he could clearly see where she was going with this. It was true, her skills could be replaced easily, and his clan could not, as well as his skills. But he had to let her know somehow, that Sakura as a whole could not be replaced. She was so loved by so many different people, so lovely and cheery. Her death would affect more than half of the population in Konoha.

The cherry blossom flower could _not_ die for his sake.

But before he could even speak up and let her know just how truly valuable she was, she bit her thumb and let her blood smear against the parchment. The discovery of what exactly the parchment was a summon for shocked Sasuke almost out of his mind, and he soon found himself thinking that this site was somehow... _odd_ to see.

There she was, in all her beautiful seventeen year old glory, holding an axe that was almost bigger than herself. The axe was made of a firm, shining metal that he could tell was probably almost indestructible, and from the looks of it, it would be about three or four times heavier than him. _'It might even weight more,'_ he thought to himself while unblinkingly staring in awe at how Sakura held the axe so easily in her hand. She held it as if it were a light toy made out of feather, and it made Sasuke wonder just how much she had changed ever since he left her that night.

"I'll save you this time, Sasuke-kun. I'll do everything needed to protect you." Her tone was firm, and in no way delicate, revealing to him that she was deeply serious and determined to hold her promise. He opened his mouth to snarl back at her to run when she still had time, but when he felt the blade being sharply pulled out of his shoulder, his biggest fear was now coming true.

It was too late for her to run away.

* * *

To say Naruto was worried would be a horrible understatement.

He hadn't seen his team mates ever since he alerted them of how the Akatsuki found them out, and it was only natural he had to worry a bit. But since this was Akatsuki they were talking about, and that both ninjas were alone and weakened, Naruto could not help but to freak out.

Neji, Shikamaru, TenTen, Ino, himself and the others had been traveling as a pack in order to find the both of them. Every single one of them had come close to death, but Naruto had put his heroic self to act and had managed to saved them all by knocking sense into Nagato's thoughts.

It seemed a bit ironic that the battle against Akatsuki was won by talk, else than violence.

But in the end, Naruto was sick and tired of having blood shed over in battles. He was sick and tired of all the hate, and blood, and tears.

It was a miracle what the young boy had managed to do. But Nagato had warned him about Madara, and how suspicious he had been about him. He feared (yes, even the leader of Akatsuki feared things and people) that Madara was plotting against both the village and his group itself. He feared that this man would cause havoc into the world that he previously thought was incurable of hate. Naruto then had the feeling that Madara would be after Sasuke and Sakura, and would want something from them.

And so here they were, jumping from tree to tree in frantic state of minds, hoping to find the slightest clue of it all, or to pick up a track from the pair.

Hoping to Kami-sama that they were not too late.

* * *

**Alright, I'm stopping here. Sadly, I am leaving you on a cliffie. Lolz.**

**I'm planning on updating very soon, though!**

**Review, my loves! :)**


	21. If This Is The End, Let Me Die With You

**I know I said I planned to update very quickly, and this is certainly not very quickly, but I didn't think that I'd be so tired till then. Gosh, work keeps me so busy and tired. T-T Not to mention that my cousins from Germany have arrived a couple days ago. -sigh-**

**Anyways, enjoy. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, kay?

* * *

**

"We've been all over the village! _All over_! How can it be so difficult to find them!?" a furious sun-kissed haired shinobi shouted, his words directed more to himself rather than the ones surrounding him. Naruto's fists clenched as his anger boiled to a greater extent when his thoughts strayed to the possibilities of what could have happened to the duo. Sasuke and Sakura were both weakened by all the fights and the chakra depletion that had been going on in these past few days, and he was almost positive that they had not fully recovered from both their injuries and chakra depletions. Both had some catching up to do to be fully able to fight, and since Madara was probably stronger than them, only Kami would know if they had a chance together, in their state.

"They know how to defend themselves. They will be fine. I'm sure we will find them in time, Naruto-kun..." the shy Hyuuga heiress murmured, her eyes narrowing in sadness as the boy shook his head and tried hard to hold back the tears of failure in his eyes. "Hinata-sama is right, you know. They do know how to defend themselves. And judging from how they were interacting lately, both would not abandon each other," Neji spoke up, his lavender orbs wandering over Naruto's shaking figure. His words seemed to hit a notch with him, however, because the blond had raised his head and connected their gaze in an angry stare. "I don't doubt their skills, you know that. What I'm so unsure about is if they survived in the state they both were. As far as I know, Madara has only been injured a couple times, weakening him by a little, but both Sasuke and Sakura have almost died and have been chakra depleted at least twice. If they haven't recovered yet, only Kami knows if they're still alive," he spat, clenching his fists again, so much that his nails dug through the skin of his palms down to the blood.

His speech seemed to have hit Ino the most, since she had bowed her head in shame while tears filled her baby blue eyes. Her hands tightened and balled into fists, which was then that her team mates finally noticed how upset the blonde was. "Ino, Sakura is going to be fine. I'm sure both are doing alright on their own," Chouji softly said, his concerned gaze narrowing a bit in guilt as she cupped her face in her hands, before covering her eyes and whimpering lightly. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it back slowly as his best friend put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed warmly. "You know how stubborn they are, Ino. In whatever state they are, they will make it. They've always gotten their way through," the lazy boy spoke, his tone low and indescribably soft. Neji nodded, "I must agree with Shikamaru. They have both been in deathly situations and have always come out of them alive. I'm sure this will be no exception." TenTen nodded happily in agreement, beaming the blonde a comforting smile, while Lee took his striking good guy pose and flashed her a toothy smile. Ino sniffed and smiled lightly as the rest of the rookie nine nodded positively, grinning in reassurance, and it was only then that she pulled herself together. "Thank you guys. Now let's go find them."

But before any of them could depart, TenTen came to a brutal halt. "Oh my Kami," she breathed, her eyes widening in shock and utter surprise. Neji frowned and raised a questioning brow. "Is something the matter, TenTen?" he asked, staring her down with a gaze filled with questions and concern. She laughed, and then shook her head, subsequently slapping her forehead. "Why didn't I think about it before!?" she exclaimed while a grin made its way to her lips. She slung her backpack off her back, and dug her hands through them to find that one thing she was looking for. "TenTen, we have no time to–" but Neji's words stopped abruptly as she suddenly took out the object she wanted out of her backpack. For a moment, no one spoke or reacted.

And then Neji smirked. "Why haven't _I_ thought about it before?" he took the object out of TenTen's hand and put a hand on her shoulder, smiling lightly. "A genius idea, TenTen. You saved us from a lot of trouble," he said. TenTen blushed lightly, but grinned in return while everybody else was confused.

And then Shikamaru recognized the object and smirked lightly. "I never knew you guys installed a tracking device on Sasuke. That's genius. Makes it all less troublesome."

"A tracking device!?"

* * *

With a loud shout of determination, Sakura charged again, easily swinging the axe forward in her hand while she ran closer and closer to the eldest Uchiha. She gritted her teeth tightly, balancing her weapon in her hand before finally swiping it towards the man, finding herself unsurprised as he easily dodged and made a movement to grab her wrist. Quick enough to see what was coming, she deviated the target of her axe towards the branch below them, a light smirk passing on her lips as she saw the look of pure surprise on her opponent. Her eyes darted from Madara to the remaining Uchiha, panting on the branch while holding his shoulder, his eyes half shut but holding panic in them as he watched both of them fight.

She almost had the urge to smile upon realizing how worried he was for her, and how angry he must feel for not being able to help her out.

Feeling movement behind her, she swiftly turned on her heels only to find, to both her and Sasuke's horror, that she wasn't quick enough to avoid the attack. A fist met her stomach full strength, making Sakura arch forward, her mouth dropping in a silent gasp of pain. Another fist met her right side, this time, the action almost making her hurl in pain. But just as she saw another hit being thrown her way, a loud crack resounded in the air. Sakura found herself smirking and cringing in the same time, her eyes meeting Madara's blood red ones as another crack was heard. Barely two seconds after their eye contact, the branch broke free of the tree's hold. They fell fast, and Sakura thought she had heard someone call her name in panic or worry.

Madara reached for her arm, but Sakura's wrenched herself away and leaped into the air, thankful to have been able to grip a branch while Madara still fell and clenched his teeth. The man's hands formed hand seals, and Sakura's eyes widen in shock while she struggled to quickly get out of the way. However she found herself not being able to go anywhere, and her brain started to wreak havoc just as the jutsu was released. But as she felt the blow about to hit her, she felt her arm being grabbed, and found herself screeching in surprise as she was pulled to safety.

Her head shot in the direction of her savior, emerald orbs widening in shock at the sight of the heavily panting Sasuke sitting beside her, his hand still latched onto her forearm. She noticed how sweat trickled down his brows, and how pale he seemed compared to a few minutes ago. Sakura did not have to guess why he was so pale, since she had guessed the cause was probably because of the large amount of blood he had lost lately. Frowning, Sakura leaned to look at his shoulder, flinching as he tightened his hold on her arm and gave her a stern glare. She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it. "You should have run, Sakura. There's no way you can win against him. Neither of us can," he spoke, his tone filled with hoarseness and weariness. She narrowed her eyes sadly, but shook her head while touching his arm gently. "I couldn't leave you here."

His eyes that had previously wandered down to stare at where she touched him raised themselves to her gaze again, and as the duo caught themselves in an intense stare, Sasuke's sharp eyes detected a movement. Quickly, he gripped her forearm tighter and rolled on the side, avoiding the sharp weapons by a hair. He felt Sakura tug strongly away from his grip, but he held on out of desperation of trying to get her away. In a sharp movement of the head, she gave him a glare, and then wrenched out of his hold, her eyes blazing with that same determination as she grabbed her axe again and jumped down, while shouting, "Shannaro!"

Muttering a loud curse under his breath, Sasuke pulled himself to his feet, cringing in pain as his shoulder sparked with waves of agony. He let out a heavy breath and forced himself to open his eyes again, feeling completely useless as he watched the pink haired girl trying with all her might to fight the deadly Uchiha. Being very low on chakra while also having not yet fully recovered from his physical injuries from the past few days, Sasuke could not do much to help her. He feared he had already reached his limit, and that if he pushed himself too hard, this could be the end of him.

But to save Sakura, he'd do it without a second thought. The problem was that even if he'd sacrifice himself for her, he knew she would not live past it anyway. She had lost too much chakra to be able to escape from Madara.

Kami, somebody save them. They would both die if help did not come soon.

* * *

"We're almost there!" TenTen shouted, her eyes gleaming with relief when she glanced down at the small beeping screen in her hands. The brown haired girl threw a grin over her shoulder, waving the screen around in triumph, a short but delighted laugh passing her lips when the group reacted excitedly in hope of finding them safe.

Naruto, whom was obviously the happiest of them all, started running even faster, earning a slight frown from Neji. "Naruto, I advise you to stay back. Rescuing them may not be as easy as it seems. We must keep in mind that Madara is a dangerous man." The blond boy seemed almost angry at the words, but nonetheless nodded and fell back a bit, his eyes set on the forest ahead of them.

"Almost there. We're so close," TenTen whispered, glancing upwards to the forest. Her skilled eyes scanned the area, but then she turned to Neji, who nodded in understanding and activated his byakuugan. From the very second he did, he came to a brutal stop on a branch, making the rest of them yelp in surprise. Some of them started complaining, but Neji turned and gave them a severe stare that was almost screaming at them to shut their mouths. He saw TenTen looking worriedly at him, and he then knew she had noticed his alerted and stiff self.

He turned his head to the front again, and frowned deeply. "This is bad," he muttered, gritting his teeth.

Because from what he was seeing, both the young Uchiha and his pink haired team mate were on the ground. And they didn't look good.

* * *

"You...! Asshole! You ruined Sasuke-kun's life! You destroyed our village! You killed too many innocent people! You _manipulated_ others for your own selfish goals!"the cherry blossom girl spat, wiping away the blood from her mouth. Her hand then tightened on the handle of her axe as he gave her a grave stare, and she did not miss the way his hand tightened so much on the handle of his weapon that his knuckles turned white. "Enough playtimes," he muttered, glaring sharply. "Do not speak as if you know everything, little girl. You know _nothing_," he hissed in a deadly tone, red eyes sharpening in fury. "I know enough to know that you are pathetic," the young medic responded, sneering angrily.

The words seemed to hit a notch with Madara, because he had immediately responded to them by flinging his sharp blade towards her. Sakura jumped at the right time, swinging her own weapon downwards, but not in the direction of her opponent. Her axe made contact with the ground, and Madara, thinking she had missed her shot, smirked in arrogance. But that was before he felt the ground rumble under his feet, shaking lightly at first, before in started moving with the intensity of a thousand stomping elephants. Madara lost his balance several times, but had found the occasion to leap into a tree, away from the breaking ground, and he made a mental note to separate that girl from her axe, since as far as he's seen, she made too much damage with it, and could possibly be considered a threat.

Sakura had barely had the time to leap into a tree as well before she was tackled by one of Madara's shadow clones. Quickly, she punched them, finding to her horror that she had been separated from her favorite and most lethal weapon. She charged forward to get it again, but her opponent appeared in front of her in a flash, launching her a blow that sent her flying against a tree. She heard Sasuke shout her name again, his voice holding urgency and fear that this would be the end for her. She smiled lightly despite of the fact her enemy was marching towards her with a blade in hand, looking smugly arrogant and cruel.

He wasted no time into lifting his sword to deliver the final blow, but just as he had swiftly swung the blade down, Sasuke appeared in front of her. His eyes were shocked, and frozen onto her own gaze, and his breath was knocked away from his lungs. They stared in each other's eyes for a long while, before a sharp breath left Sasuke's lips, along with a cough full of blood.

_'He took the blow,' _Sakura realized.

**He took the blow.**

Sasuke-kun took–

Feeling something wet trickle down on her stomach, Sakura slowly looked down, only for her eyes to widen in utter shock at the surprise that awaited her.

Yes, Sasuke-kun had taken the blow...

...but unfortunately for the both of them, the blade still reached Sakura, and had successfully pierced right through her chest.

So that thing that she felt running down on her stomach, it was _her blood._

As soon as all of this registered in her mind, she could finally feel the intense pain wavering within her. It was so inhumanly painful that she could not figure out how they did not pass out from it.

Emerald raised to look at obsidian again, and Sakura found herself wondering why her vision was so blurry all of a sudden. Her mouth parted open, and she smiled softly to Sasuke, subconsciously reaching to caress his cheek with her bloody hand. But pressure increased on the blade, and both of them gasped, arching forward towards each other.

Sakura felt a hand on her waist, gripping tightly, while the other was probably on the ground to support his aching body. She felt wet lips hovering above her neck, and a harsh breathing that made her heart ache. Droplets of warm liquid fell from his lips and onto her neck, trailing down her skin, and Sakura wanted to cry at the realization that it was Sasuke's blood. She leaned her head on his shoulder, murmuring words of apologies and confessions over and over again, until she felt her tongue become numb.

The muscles in her body refused to respond to her orders anymore. Darkness was taking over. Death was scaring her, and yet she could not help but to let a smile graze her lips, because she was not going to die alone.

Both fell to their sides, numb everywhere, blood pooling around them. Their eyes were connected in an intense stare full of words that should have been said, but had never been. Sakura only became aware of their bloody hands clasped together tightly as Sasuke intertwined their fingers and gave her hand a light squeeze.

No, she wasn't going to die alone. She was going to die with Sasuke-kun.

_Her Sasuke-kun.

* * *

_

**Alright, that's it for now my little readers!**

**One last chapter, and we're done with this story. I got it pretty much all planned out from here... lolz.**

**I hope you enjoyed, even though I left you guys on a cliffie. :P**

**DeepPoeticGirl**


	22. Sasuke's New Beginning

**Yeah, I know, I take a heck of a longer time to update, but you gotta understand this is my last year of high school, so it's pretty darn hectic every day. Kami, I can't imagine how university is going to be like. o.0**

**So here it is, the last update of this story. I hope it will be satisfying as an ending. :)**

**Disclaimer: Me no own Naruto.

* * *

**

_The world was warm, pretty and peaceful. Every time Sakura looked around, she would not be able to hold back a smile, because the scenery is perfect and beautiful to watch. She's in a world of warmth and of loveliness, where everything is good and flawless. Where there is no war, no tears, no hurt, and no broken heart. Where her friends are all happy, which makes her happy, and where peace reigns. Where there are no dark clouds in the clear blue sky._

_Skin brushed her hand, and Sakura was unable to hold back her smile from growing even bigger, softer. She looked down, her eyes softening at the sight of Uchiha Sasuke dozing off in her lap, his hand lightly resting against her own. She reached out to touch his hair, her smile fading while the happiness in her eyes did not. She softly ran her fingers through his locks, feeling her stomach bubble with warmth when something like a content sign escapes his mouth._

'_This world is perfect,' Sakura thought to herself._

_And it's perfect because Sasuke-kun is there with her, by her side, and her feelings are not unrequited anymore._

_In this world, Sasuke-kun loves her._

"_Sakura…"_

_Snapping out of her trance, Sakura turned her attention back to the raven haired man in her lap. His obsidian eyes were opened, but she was taken aback when she realized that the emotion in his eyes were not the ones she expected to see. Those eyes, they held fear, panic and pain._

"_Sakura…"_

_Her eyes widened in shock when she saw part of his shirt suddenly sinking red, like he was bleeding. In an almost immediate reaction, she reached out to heal him, but was suddenly unable to do so when she became aware of how she was shaking, hurting._

"_Sakura…"_

_Her perfect world suddenly seems to shatter. The blue sky is now painted red, the white clouds are now black, and her beautiful nature is suddenly dead. Next thing she knew, she was choking on something that tasted metallic and disgusting. Realizing it was blood, the medic wanted to cry._

"_Saku…ra…"_

_She fell to the ground, spitting out blood while her hand clasped a wound at her chest. Her beautiful, perfect world is gone, replaced by one full of ugliness and death. Replaced by a world where Sasuke-kun doesn't love her._

"…_Sakura…!"_

Her eyes snapped open in shock upon hearing her name being called for what seemed like the thousandth time. She inhaled a sharp breath, follow by a whimper of pain when she clasped a hand over her wound.

"Don't go," she heard somebody rasp, their voice seemingly out of breath. She looked up from her wound, and suddenly, she became aware of what was happening again. Her perfect world had simply been her dream, since she had passed out and would have probably no doubt had gone straight to what follows death, if Sasuke hadn't made her come back to her senses. She almost gasped when a wet hand squeezed hers, making her eyes snap in surprise when she became aware of the fact Sasuke was holding her hand. "You can't die on me, Sakura. You can't," he roughly breathed out, his half lidded eyes glaring sternly into her own.

She then realized how hers were also half lidded.

"I don't think it matters, Sasuke-kun…" the young woman whispered, blinking very slowly, painfully. She didn't miss the way his eyes sharpened into a death glare, an action which made her smile. "Since we're both dying, I don't think it matters…" she went on in a quiet and weak mumble. It was silent in return, something that made Sakura smile bitterly, as she knew it was because he could not argue with that. He knew she was right—they _are_ both dying.

But as the raven haired man had opened his mouth to reply, a cruel laughed interrupted them. "How sweet, the two almost-lovers speaking out their last words to each other. Too bad they won't have longer." The pair shifted their heads to look at the man towering maliciously over them. They saw his eyes shifting from their faces to their linked hands, and a smirk soon appeared on his lips. "Never knew you were a fan of intimate physical contact, Sasuke." Sasuke managed to glare deathly in return, but anyone could see the terror that started to grow in his eyes as Madara sheathed a sword.

Pressure was increased in his hand which was linked which Sakura's, and he almost softened his gaze upon realizing that Sakura was the one to squeeze his hand this time. He shut his eyes tight as Madara swung the blade down, and he was sure Sakura had as well, although his heart seemed to stop as he heard three words which stumbled out of her mouth as her last resolve.

"I love you."

Sasuke squeezed her hand, and his lips twitched into a very tiny, but genuine smile.

"Thank you."

* * *

People say that when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. Others say it's like passing through a tunnel, and there's a light that comes closer and closer until you're engulfed by it. More say you hear Kami-sama's voice calling out your name. Some also say you're just engulfed by darkness, and then everything is over. Several people have also said that the world is cold, and blurry, and then you just go.

There was none of that for both Sasuke and Sakura.

What they felt was a sudden rush of cold running through them, but not winter cold. It was a different kind of cold—one which was almost comforting. Inviting. But then numbness came, and they couldn't feel anything any longer. Sakura couldn't even feel Sasuke's hand in hers anymore, which was strange, considering how she was still aware of how tight her clothes were to her skin, or how damp they were from her blood.

But nevertheless, this was an unimportant fact. She was dying, Sasuke was dying. Was this the end for them? Had she and Naruto spent the last few years trying to bring him back for nothing? For him to die with her? For Naruto to lose his two closest people? No. She could not believe it would end like this. She could not let it happen.

_Splat!_

(What was that?)

The pinkette wished she could have opened her eyes to see what was happening around them, but her eyes refused to work. The world around her became number, colder, and Sakura did not know if she even had the chance to survive, even if the others arrived.

"_How can you…!?"_

(Madara? Who is he talking to? He sounds so shocked… )

She's so tired, it's hard to stay as she is, barely conscious. It is not darkness, light, Kami or death calling her, no, no, it's something more normal. Sakura hears that certain thing calling her, whispering that everything will be alright, and the cold, the pain, the numbness, the hurt—it will all be over. It is calling her, tempting her, but she replies quietly in her mind that she can't go just yet.

Sakura finds herself unable to really tell what was calling her, what _is_ calling her. But it's not something scary, not something wonderful, it's just something ordinary and inviting. Something in the life of everybody, every day. Sakura also wondered if Sasuke had given in to that wonderful thing, seeing as he probably was eager for death to take him away, so he would run away from all of this agony he'd been keeping inside of his heart every day ever since the massacre.

"_Go to her, we'll take care of him…!"_

(who… was that? it's not… it's not Sasuke-kun…. where…is…Sasuke-kun…?)

"Sas…uke…-ku..n…" she found herself murmuring, struggling to find the strength to squeeze the hand that she could no longer feel in her own. She smiled lightly as her fingers twitched and curved, and then bent lightly.

"Don't go…" she heard him rasp from above, his breath heavier and harsher than she'd ever heard it be. Her mouth parted to mumble his name, but her breath was knocked out of her lungs as she heard a body fall on the wet, muddy ground. With her remaining strength, Sakura reached out to where she thought she heard him fall, but found herself surprised as his hand gripped hers tightly. She barely had the time to react before she felt a hand at the side of her face, and next thing she knew, something hot, moist and soft was pressed on her mouth.

It was instinctive. After she realized that he was kissing her, her eyes snapped open. It didn't even matter if beforehand, she would not have had the strength to open them, because the shock of the situation was enough to give her a boost. She found herself staring at a mess of raven locks, and a pair of closed eyes. She could hardly believe it, Sasuke was actually kissing her? And not a mere lip lock that didn't mean anything, but a kiss that actually meant something, and that she could feel was sincere. A kiss that came from the bottom of his heart.

His kiss tasted like something between blood, dirt, rain and sweat, and even though it tasted far from what she ever dreamed, Sakura wouldn't of had it any other way. He wasn't rough, wasn't kissing her hard, or too intensely. His mouth was gentle on her own, but it was there, she could feel it. It was soft, lovely, and oddly made her feel like it belonged there. His kiss was nothing like she'd expect from the tough, distant and impatient man he was.

Although no matter how much she wanted to return his sweet gesture, she could not. At first, it was the shock of the realization sliding in. But after that, her lack of response was more due to her lack of strength to move. Every little bits of energy that she had before had somehow easily slipped away in the past few minutes. Maybe it was the shock that took away so much, seeing as it made her stiffen and snap open her eyes. Or maybe her heart just couldn't take any more of these confusing love matters, and it drained her.

Whatever it was, it stole everything left in her.

Sadly, she could not catch the look in his eyes when he pulled his mouth away from hers, since her eyes slipped shut while she drew a final breath before sleep finally took hold of her after so many inviting whispers. A sleep which she would never wake up from. A sleep where she slips into nothingness.

"_SAKURA…!"

* * *

_

Maybe it was her words that boosted him, or just the fact he couldn't bear the thought of not being able to save her. Maybe it was because he knew Naruto would forever hate him if he let their little flower die, or maybe it was because he couldn't let Madara live and be the remaining Uchiha. Maybe it was because he hoped she had a chance to live, since he knew that the others would arrive soon as he had sensed their chakras approaching earlier.

Whatever it was, it gave him the strength to activate the mangekyou one last time, and the action was so unexpected that Madara could not escape from it. The undying black flames of Amaterasu caught on Madara, and Sasuke almost had trouble manipulating them with the little bit of chakra he had left within him. "How can you…!?" the older Uchiha rasped, shouting out in pain as the flames tore the flesh of his arm and his side away.

"Gghh!" Sasuke clenched his teeth, struggling to keep his one eyes open even as blood started to pour from the socket. Tossing the dangerous weapon away without breaking his gaze from Madara's, he tried his best to activate a dangerous genjutsu, but sadly was obligated to stop as pain ripped through his bleeding eye. He cursed under his breath, unwillingly breaking the gaze and losing control of the flames, which soon faded as Sasuke panted harshly and backed away against a tree trunk.

However when he looked up, he was unprepared to see Madara bleeding to heavily, one of his arms completely gone as part of his side and thigh. Somehow, the cruel man had managed to retrieve his weapon, and he had also somehow managed to rush towards Sasuke. Closing his eyes, Sasuke tried to gather enough strength to try the brutal technique again, but as he was about to snap his eyes open and activate it, shout of pain echoed in the air, and the sound of a body crashing against something hard followed closely.

He opened his eyes, his breath still weighty and harsh, only to be utterly stunned as he took in the sight of the red haired man whom he'd known as a bloodthirsty killer when he was younger. Gaara, as he remembered him by, was the last person he would ever think of to come to their rescue. Last he'd known about, Gaara and him were arch enemies.

The said red haired man turned and gave Sasuke a stern but somehow very calm look. "Go to her, we'll take care of him…!" he called, glancing quickly towards the bloody girl on the ground that looked as motionless as ever. He could barely tell that her chest was heaving—a sign that she wasn't breathing very well. "Sas…uke…-ku..n…" he heard her murmur almost inaudibly.

Sasuke nodded gratefully at Gaara and his siblings before turned his attention to Sakura again. In clumsy, unsteady steps, he made his way to her, his jaw clenching tight as he lost his balance upon almost reaching her. He was cursing madly under his breath and was struggling to get to his feet, but his mind suddenly seemed to freeze upon seeing her bloody hand slowly dragging itself the ground, reaching in his direction.

His reaction was almost immediate—he grabbed her hand and clasped it tight, his eyes widening in horror when he slowly noticed the way her chest stopped heaving. Not knowing what took over him, Sasuke leaned over and gently cupped one side of her face, before he leaned in and kissed her.

And when he felt her slipping away, he pulled back almost in panic, the one hand holding hers tightening its grip when he felt her grip go loose completely. He couldn't hold back the shout of anger and fear of loss that tore from his throat when she went completely limp, with her head lolling to the side.

"SAKURA…!"

Next thing Sasuke knew, spots of dark danced in his eyes, and a disgusting, metallic substance filled bubbled in his throat. Wanting to hold on to the pinkette but unable to hold back the need to clear his gorge, he leaned to cough beside her, only to cursed loudly under his breath when his limbs gave out. Not wanting to crush Sakura, he used the last ounce of his strength to fall beside her.

"Damnit…!" Sasuke coughed, cringing when blood fell from his lips.

"SASUKE…! Shit—what happened to you guys!? Damnit, I can't—Oh Kami, please, don't let them die…! Sakura—damnit, I can't lose you guys! Hang on…!"

A hand placed itself on his shoulder comfortingly, and that same person turned them on their side as Sasuke began coughing madly again.

"Sasuke! Kami—you're alright…!" he heard his almost brother call, his voice cracking with emotion that revealed how afraid he was of losing them both.

"…Sakura… is she…?" the raven haired man managed to mumble, his eyes cracking open to stare at the blond whose eyes were filled with tears.

"She's not dead, teme, thank Kami, she's alive. She's going to be alright, man, just hang on alright? hang on, we got help from sand. We got enough chakra to save you both, so hang on brother, just—"

But Sasuke slipped out of consciousness then.

* * *

"…_hat… happe…ver…ere…?"_

"…_on't kno…arr...ed…ground…almost dead…ighting…"_

His head throbbed, and he thought that it might as well explode, and it would cause him less pain like that. Something like a groan and a grunt escaped his mouth as he shifted his head to the side while his hand itched to rub his forehead.

"...suke…coming to…alert…others…"

Using the little strength he surprisingly had, Sasuke forced his eyes open, cringing when his head started throbbing harder upon seeing too much visual information. He groaned and lifted a hand to his forehead, hissing in pain when he accidentally touched the eye he'd used for mangekyou.

"How are you feeling?" a deep voice asked, the tone almost empty.

Sasuke turned his head, blinking a couple times before he frowned, and then proceeded to nod lightly. "Fine. Sore, but fine," he mumbled to his ex arch enemy.

"Understandable," Gaara acknowledged, nodding back in return.

A flash of pink went through his mind, and Sasuke almost panicked. "Sakura—"

"As Naruto said before you passed out, Sakura is going to be fine. She's still being healed at the moment."

Relief washed over Sasuke, and for a moment, he shut his eyes, fighting back the urge to smile.

"Is Uchiha-san is awake, Kazekage-sama?" a feminine voice asked.

'_Kazekage-sama?'_ Sasuke thought in surprise.

"Yes, he is. Could you please take care of him, Miza?"

Sasuke still had his eyes shut, but he knew the female had nodded, because of course she would never dare defy her Kazekage's wishes. "Yes, of course, Kazekage-sama. I will get to work right away."

Hearing somebody kneeling down on the grass beside him, Sasuke fluttered his eyes open again, and nodded silently to Gaara as he stood and nodded back. He then direction his attention to the young medic who smiled lightly, quietly welcoming back from what he didn't know was almost a free pass to death. She explained to him how they had little time to work on him, and that they didn't know if he could still be saved, but it turned out that they'd saved him at a time where everybody thought he was a goner.

Sasuke nodded at the brown haired girl, and very, very quietly, he thanked her, before he settled his head back on the ground and directed his gaze to the starry night sky. His mind wandered around as the medic worked on getting him better, and he found himself thinking about how he was glad everything was over now. There was no way Madara had survived against the rookie nine and the entire reinforcements of Sand, especially not after the hit he took from his Amaterasu.

So, was everything okay now?

Sasuke was apparently ready to be welcomed back to Konoha, after all the help he gave them. Sakura was going to be alright. Naruto and the others were all fine and alive, asides from being beaten up and chakra depleted.

So, if he took in mind that the only woman who ever truly loved him and that he sorta, maybe, possibly loved back was not going to die, and that his best friend still considered him as a brother and was well and alive, as well as possibly going to become the next Hokage soon, and that he now had a village her could call home again…

Well yeah, it'd be safe to assume everything was alright now.

* * *

"Looks like the almighty Uchiha hasn't lost his habit of sitting in the tree at night to ogle the sky," a female voice teasingly called to him, her tone hinting that she was no doubt smiling or smirking.

Sasuke looked down from his seat, and the corner of his lip twitched upwards a bit at the sight of the pink haired girl he'd worried so much about in these past few days. She was well and alive, and apparently seemed pretty happy, judging by the way her eyes twinkled like the glittery sky above them, or how she had a big toothy and cheery smile stuck on her lips.

"Hn." He smirked lightly when she rolled her eyes at his reply, giving him a mischievous grin before she climbed the tree with ease, and plopped on his branch with a huff of amusement. Sasuke smirked a bit more before he looked back up at the stars hanging over them, his onyx eyes reflecting the scenery perfectly.

Sakura smiled softly upon watching his thoughtful gaze, but then settled herself on the branch, sitting at a fair distance from him. She pressed her hands at the bark of the branch, and then looked up as well, her gaze softening as she took in the beauty of the sky tonight. "It's so beautiful…" she murmured, her soft smile growing even more.

A shooting star suddenly past, and she gasped, her smile disappearing to be replaced by a frown, before it went back to her big, affectionate smile. Sasuke had stopped watching the stars it had been a few minutes, since he'd been drawn to how genuinely happy and delicate she seemed upon watching the dark blue shimmering sky.

Without really knowing why, he found himself scooting a little closer to her, his eyes still latched on the way her pools twinkled in unadulterated contentment. Feeling stared at, Sakura looked down to her beloved, her left eyebrow rising in question as he did not take his gaze away. They went on staring at each other a bit, both of them with a warm gaze, unable to break away. But then just as Sakura was about to open her mouth and speak out her soft confession of love to him, Sasuke seemed to have read it in her eyes, and they glimmered with something that Sakura thought was joy and relief. She smiled, and he seemed to try to return the gesture, but had somehow just managed to pull off a little upwards twist of his lips.

It was barely noticeable, but it was a smile for sure.

Knowing he would not push her back, she leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, sighing in pure contentment. "I love you," she uttered softly, shuddering lightly while she breathed in his scent quietly.

A silence took place, but it was not the kind of silence which was awkward and odd, but it was rather one filled with perfect comfort of each other's presence.

And then she felt skin brush her hand, making her jump lightly, for a moment while her eyes had snapped open in shock. But after a moment, she smiled, and she took his hand in hers, refraining herself from giggling as she recalled just how unsure he was of his action, like he didn't know if it would be accepted or not.

Their fingers intertwined themselves, and she thought she heard him sigh contently, as if pleased about this kind of intimate contact with her. She closed her eyes again, and unthinkingly kissed his shoulder, not caring is material was covering it, and then she fluttered her emerald orbs open to look at his reaction.

But what happened next surprised her the most. He turned his head to look at her, and in a quick movement, he leaned over and brushed his lips over her forehead. It was a gentle touch, barely even there, but she knew he'd kissed her forehead.

"Hey, guys, what are you doing up there!? Come on down! We're all around the fire, ready to make some ramen!" Their best friend called to them, his voice booming and happy, just like it always was.

Sakura grinned and looked down, calling out back to him, "alright! We'll be there in a sec!"

The blonde walked away, leaving them both alone again, and the pair gave each other a shared amused glance. "Guess we better go. You know how he gets, he's so impatient," Sakura announced, still grinning. Sasuke smirked and hummed lightly in return, before he stood up and tugged at her hand for her to get up as well. They both jumped down, landing stably on their feet without letting go of each other's hand.

And as they started walking to the bonfire where everybody was, Sakura suddenly stopped to look at him. He stopped too, gave her a questioning glance while frowning a bit. Sakura settled with smiling innocently, before she gave him a sly look. "You know, I want to hear it from you someday. That you love me," she said, taking a small step to close a bit of distance between them.

Sasuke snorted. "Isn't knowing it enough?" he asked gruffly, rolling his eyes. Sakura laughed in return, but then shook her head. "Nuh-uh. I'm going to hear it from you someday, Sasuke-kun." She was smiling beautifully, like she was sure of herself and of her words, but Sasuke didn't blame her, because he knew he'd probably say it someday.

In like, ten years. _Minimum_.

So he just settled with giving her a look of tenderness she knew the meaning of, and then tugged at the hand he was still holding. She smiled, and leaned to swiftly peck his cheek before she smiled again and started walking with him towards the bonfire once more.

They never once did let go of each other's hand.

-

_And that's when Sasuke's new life began.

* * *

_

**Whoo! Yay! I am done! XD I hope Sasuke wasn't exactly out of character here… But oh well, if he is, its just a bit, you know? XD**

**Alright, well I hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading! And sorry for the long wait again!**

**Please leave a review telling me what you thought of this story!**

**DeepPoeticGirl**


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